‘Playoff Kenny’ Gainwell once again delivers vs. 49ers in quest to be postseason hero

Heavy smoke wafted around Kenny Gainwell, sporting an oversized conference champions T-shirt, a victory cigar, and a wide smile across his face.

The Eagles’ second-year running back was once again a key contributor for the Eagles in a 31-7 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Afterward, he felt he’d earned a nickname reserved for those who elevate their games when the lights are brightest.

“All I can say at this point is ‘Playoff Kenny,’ man,” Gainwell said. “Stop playing with me.”

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A week after surpassing 100 rushing yards for the first time in his career, Gainwell’s encore performance featured a team-high 48 rushing yards on 14 carries. He also logged two catches for 26 receiving yards, including a key 17-yard reception on third down that led to a scoring drive in the third quarter.

While his stats weren’t as striking as the previous weekend’s blowout win over the New York Giants, Gainwell made a handful of impact plays and became the team’s primary option out of the backfield. Gainwell outpaced Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and Jalen Hurts in carries on the evening and reeled off a handful of impressive runs with his added workload.

“The coaches have been believing in me,” Gainwell said. “I go in and do what I have to do. Whenever the coaches give me the opportunity, I take full advantage of it. The only thing I could do is take advantage of that.”

Gainwell’s production has been a pleasant surprise for the Eagles this postseason. The 2021 fifth-round pick did not surpass the 40-yard mark or log double-digit carries all regular season but has been a difference maker in the last two games while splitting carries with Sanders.

“He’s always been super talented, man,” Scott said. “It’s all about reps. The more reps you get, the more opportunities you get; each time we touch the ball, the better we get. That’s what you’re seeing with Kenny. He’s been running hard; he’s been running physical, he’s making guys miss. ... I’m so proud of him, man.”

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Gainwell’s last time impacting games this much came during his redshirt freshman season at Memphis in 2019. The Yazoo City, Miss., native opted out of his final year at Memphis in 2020 because of COVID-19 concerns after losing several family members to the disease. He slid to the third day of the draft the next year and was relatively quiet as a rookie.

The last two games, Gainwell said, have felt like vindication.

“I’m just thinking about how everybody doubted me when I opted out and I didn’t do as well and I didn’t play and I came in in the fifth round,” Gainwell said. “I just put all that into pressure and all that work that I put in that year and last year and I’m bringing it to these last couple games. And I’m going to take it to the Super Bowl, too.”

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While Gainwell finished ahead in the stat column, the Eagles got production from all three of their top running backs against the 49ers’ second-ranked rushing defense. Sanders had 11 carries for 42 yards and two touchdowns Sunday, although it’s important to note he didn’t get a touch after the 11-minute mark of the third quarter.

Hurts had 11 carries for 39 yards and a touchdown while Scott finished with six carries, 21 yards, and a score.

“We talk about it all the time; it takes all of us,” Scott said. “It takes a bunch of unselfish guys to spread the wealth, because we can all make plays.”

Scott didn’t know the origins of “Playoff Kenny’s” new nickname or whether it was self-imposed, but said he’s on board with it.

“It works,” Scott said. “Because he is playing. That boy is playing playing.”