The San Francisco 49ers never had a chance. The Philadelphia Eagles jumped on San Francisco’s vaunted defense on the opening drive to take a 7-0 lead and never looked back in a 31-7 blowout win over the 49ers to punch a ticket to Super Bowl LVII in two weeks.
Things went from bad to worse in the first quarter for the 49ers when Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick blows past a San Francisco tight end to hit quarterback Brock Purdy. Purdy’s elbow was injured on the play, effectively ending the competitive portion of the game.
Purdy left the game, paving the way for veteran journeyman Josh Johnson. The 49ers scored a touchdown with Johnson at the helm when running back Christian McCaffrey willed his way into the end zone to tie the game in the second quarter.
Brock Purdy with right elbow injury. UCL sprain probable. If pain controlled and doctor feels joint stable return possible. pic.twitter.com/0SY3A0Zdkh
— Dr. Mark Adickes (@jocktodoc) January 29, 2023
However, San Francisco’s defense again failed, committing three penalties on a drive, in which the Eagles took advantage of, going ahead 14-7 before halftime.
The Niners got the ball back with 1:36 remaining, and on first down, Johnson completed a pass to wide receiver Deebo Samuel for an 11-yard gain. San Francisco appeared to be in business.
Unfortunately for the 49ers, Johnson mishandled the shotgun snap on the next play, fumbled it and Reddick recovered. The Eagles took advantage as running back Boston Scott marched in from 10 yards out to give Philly a 21-7 lead before halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Johnson was hit and forced to leave the game. It appeared the 49ers would turn to McCaffrey at quarterback, but Purdy re-entered the game. However, Purdy could not throw the ball, rendering the San Francisco offense one-dimensional.
The Eagles pounced on everything.
Now, Philadelphia is headed to the Super Bowl and awaits the winner of the AFC championship game between the Chiefs and Bengals.
The Eagles managed only 269 total yards in the win, as quarterback Jalen Hurts passed for 121 yards. Philly ran the ball 44 times for 148 yards, averaging just 3.4 yards per attempt, but scored four touchdowns on the ground.
In a game where everyone talked about the two great defenses, the Philadelphia defense was the better unit on Sunday.