A Familiar Vikings Name Delivers in the NFL Playoffs
Longtime Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks delivered a defining moment for San Francisco 49ers fans on Sunday. Stepping in for several injured linebackers, including All-Pro Fred Warner, Kendricks had a massive impact on the game that eliminated the Philadelphia Eagles.
In November, Kendricks was still looking for a job. He was just signed to the 53-man roster last week after spending just over a month on the practice squad with a few part-time appearances on Sundays.
This time, however, he played a significant role, breaking up the final Eagles play of the game to secure the win. The tackle machine registered ten tackles, anchoring Robert Saleh’s banged-up defensive unit.
Alex Simon of SFGate wrote about the veteran’s performance, “One season after he infamously reneged on his deal to join the 49ers to instead sign with the hated Cowboys, Eric Kendricks completely rewrote his San Francisco story with a game-winning defensive play in Sunday’s Wild Card game in Philadelphia.”
In the 2024 offseason, Kendricks’ move to San Francisco had already been reported when he signed with the Cowboys instead, reuniting with his longtime coach, Mike Zimmer.
“The 49ers led the Eagles 23-19 with 43 seconds left, with Philly facing a fourth-and-11 from the Niners’ 21-yard line,” Simon added. “After a timeout (that proved to be extremely costly), Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts sent a pass over the middle intended for tight end Dallas Goedert. But Kendricks came across the middle of the field and deflected the pass before it could reach Goedert. The incompletion turned the ball over to San Francisco on downs with 40 seconds left, and that spent timeout meant the Eagles were forced to watch as the Niners kneeled out the clock and capped off the upset win.”
Kendricks was a 2015 second-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings, arriving in the same draft as Danielle Hunter and Stefon Diggs. He quickly earned a starting job under Zimmer and was the heart of Minnesota’s defense through the 2022 season.
In the 2023 offseason, the Vikings released him, and he signed with the Los Angeles Chargers. After a year with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024, it looked like his career was slowly winding down. Surprisingly, he’s back in the spotlight just in time for the playoffs.
Well, it’s not that surprising for Vikings fans who watched him play throughout his career. Kendricks has always been excellent. His superpower is his ability to diagnose plays quickly and his coverage skills have been elite for quite a while now. Ultimately, Kendricks tabulated over 100 tackles per season starting in 2016, all the way through 2024.
Even last season with the Cowboys, Kendricks logged 138 tackles and three sacks.
San Francisco’s head coach Kyle Shanahan wasn’t stunned by the throwback performance either. He said after the game, “I’ve gone against Eric so much in my life, and I remember saying it at the beginning of the week on Wednesday and to the whole team. I was like, ‘Guys, I don’t really know Eric that well, but I’ve been going against him on the silent tape forever, and that’s why I feel like I do know him. And from going against him, I promise you guys this guy’s going to be ready.'”
“It was just a vibe we’ve always had playing against him our whole career, and that’s how he handled this whole week. And he looked kind of like what I’ve seen going against him my whole career. He looked like that tonight. Just how he drops in the hooks, I think he’s always a problem for quarterbacks. Looked like he knocked that ball down at the end.”
Kendricks’ next assignment will be former Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold and ex-Vikings OC Klint Kubiak. The 49ers and the Seahawks will meet on Saturday.
Kendricks will turn 34 next month. On Sunday, he surely didn’t look like an old athlete.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.