3 Times Eagles’ Jason Kelce Won 49ers Fans’ Respect Despite NFC Rivalry

Football fans are really passionate about and loyal to their teams. So, it’s not often that one football fanbase applauds another team’s player, much less a team with which they have a longstanding rivalry. But the Philadelphia Eagles’ Center Jason Kelce, has managed to do just that. He proved to San Francisco 49ers fans that he is ready to appreciate true sportsmanship and good performance, even if the player in question is on a rival team.

The 49ers and the Eagles are two of the best teams in the NFC, and hence they are always at each other’s throats to prove who is the best NFC team. Last year, when the two played off during the NFC Championship, the 49ers’ QB, Brock Purdy, was injured. And Jason Kelce’s reaction to it earned his rival team’s fans’ respect.

Jason Kelce sympathizes with the San Francisco 49ers fans

On February 1, earlier this year, during the New Heights podcast, which was recorded soon after the NFC Championship, Jason was faced with the dilemma of whether he should even feel bad for his rival team’s QB’s injury. Brock Purdy had suffered a severe elbow injury on a strip sack but the opponent’s edge rushes Haason Reddick. And with their QB down, the 49ers lost to the Eagles by a blowout score of 31-7.

In the podcast, he said, “I legitimately was like, ‘Man, this sucks for that team. I would hate to be going through it.” He even lauded the 23-year-old for playing with a UCL tear. He also sympathized with them that, despite their 13-4 record in that season, they had to suffer a blowout defeat just because of the injury. “It really does s**k their season got determined in that fashion.”

Two other times the 49ers’ respect for Kelce soared

On the SFNiners podcast, the host shared a clip of Jason Kelce from his podcast where he was showering praise on the 49ers’ defensive tackle, Javon Hargrave. “Javon’s one of the hardest guys I’ve had to block.” Javon had played for the Eagles for 3 years before he was traded to the 49ers at a higher-value contract. Now, the two will find themselves on opposite sides of the ball once again.

Ahead of the NFC Championship rematch, Jason was asked by the media if there were any weaknesses in San Francisco’s lineup or strategy that the Eagles could look to exploit. “They don’t really have any weaknesses to exploit.” He said that other teams have strong players in specific positions, so there are chinks in their armor. The 49ers on the other hand, have a great roster throughout.

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Will the Eagles beat the 49ers again, or with a resurgent Purdy, will they manage to take revenge for their last humiliation?

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