National Football League

49ers' jubilant reaction to Eagles' loss, NFC No. 1-seed clinch goes viral

Published Dec. 31, 2023 6:18 p.m. ET

The San Francisco 49ers took care of business Sunday with a 27-10 victory over the Washington Commanders to remain atop the NFC. But in order to clinch the No. 1 seed in the conference, the 49ers needed some help from the division-rival Arizona Cardinals, who were facing the No. 2 seed Philadelphia Eagles.

And they got it, with Kyler Murray leading a last-minute drive in Philadelphia that resulted in a game-winning touchdown run from James Conner.

Down the eastern seaboard in Landover, Md., a group of 49ers players including Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle gathered around a reporter's phone to watch the pivotal touchdown.

And, well, their reaction speaks for itself.

In the video, Samuel and others can be heard explicitly rooting for Murray and Conner then sprinting off to the visitor's locker room, hollering in celebration. Here's another angle of the moment, that shows fellow 49ers stars Fred Warner and Trent Williams also receiving the news of the Cardinals' comeback. (Warning: Clip contains some explicit language)

Thanks to their win and the Eagles' loss, the 49ers have wrapped up home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs as well as a bye past the wild-card round. Philadelphia, meanwhile, suddenly finds itself needing to win against the New York Giants next weekend to avoid falling all the way to the No. 5 seed in the NFC bracket and being forced to defend its 2022 conference title on the road.