Jalen Hurts and powerhouse Philadelphia Eagles defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game by double digits, 31-7, in one of the NFL’s most anticipated postseason games.
With the win, Philly heads to Super Bowl LVII in Arizona (February 12, 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App).
Breakout rookie quarterback Brock Purdy left the game after the Niners’ opening run with an elbow injury and didn’t return until early in the second half when backup QB Josh Johnson was out with a concussion.
Here are the highlights!
Philadelphia Eagles 31, San Francisco 49ers 7
Fly up!
Rather than opting for a field goal on their opening drive, Philly made a statement by keeping his offense on the field.
On a crucial fourth down, Hurts went deep for DeVonta Smith, who snaged a monster 29 yards to put the Eagles deep in the red zone. After taking a closer look at the piece, it turned out to be the case Smith may not have caught the ball in the end …
Home team takes the lead
… but it was too little, too late. Two games later, Miles Sanders ran right through the Niners’ defense and conceded for a brief hit to put Philly 7-0 early. It was Sanders’ 12th rushing touchdown of the season.
Before Sunday’s game, the Eagles were 8-0 up this season as Sanders produced a stunning result. He is one of five players in Eagles history to have 12 touchdowns in a single season (including the playoffs) and just one of four players to do so in the Super Bowl era, along with Hurts, LeSean McCoy FOX and five-time pro bowler Ricky Watters.
Shaky start
On the Niners’ opening drive, Purdy tried to connect with George Kittle, but the ball came loose. The Eagles challenged the incomplete pass regulation, and the game was reversed, resulting in a Purdy fumble near midfield.
San Francisco’s defense showed up when it mattered most, forcing Philly to go three and out after turnover.
Hurt mount for 49ers
Purdy did not return for the Niners’ subsequent series. Backup QB Johnson lined up for San Francisco, that went three-and-out on the subsequent journey. Purdy went briefly to the locker room before returning to the sidelines where his throwing arm was wrapped and iced.
Johnson, a fifth-round pick in the 2008 NFL draft, boasted a 1-8 record as a starter and a career completion 58% before Sunday’s game. The 36-year-old journeyman was part of an NFL-record 14 different teams.
Elsewhere, Nick Bosa, who was not on the field at the time, walked to the sidelines after being struck and was tended to by the 49ers coaching staff. He took over the field in San Francisco’s subsequent possession but left before the drive ended.
Those setbacks came after Niner’s star linebacker was Fred Warner briefly injured in the second turn.
what could have been
The Eagles narrowly missed a safety on their first drive of the second quarter and ended up three-and-out.
Knotted!
The Niners closed things out midway through the second quarter thanks to that furious run from Christian McCaffrey, who missed two straight practice sessions this week with a calf injury.
With that touchdown, McCaffrey had scored in nine straight games, the longest streak of a 49er since Terrell Owens (1998). McCaffrey’s nine-game scoring streak is the third longest in Niners history (including the playoffs).
On road!
The Eagles went 14-7 late in the second quarter thanks to a 17-yard pickup from Kenneth Gainwell, who set up a smooth 13-yard touchdown from Sanders – his second result of the game.
Sales volume!
Johnson fumbled with the 49ers’ next drive and coughed the ball up San Francisco’s own 36-yard line. The Eagles capitalized on their newfound possession as Boston Scott found the end zone with ease just a few games later.
So Philly took the lead with 21:7.
Heading into Sunday, the 49ers were 4-0 in games where they had two or more freebies this season.
QB chaos
Johnson left the game after falling on the Niners’ first drive in the second half. He was later expelled.
Purdy reentered for one play at QB – a handoff to McCaffrey – before San Francisco swiped the ball away.
move away
The Niners nearly forced the Eagles to punt late in the third quarter, but a roughing the kicker penalty gave Philly another chance. The drive continued, and Hurts launched 14 yards to put the Eagles deep in the red zone.
As if that wasn’t enough, an unnecessary rude penalty put the Eagles on the 3-yard line, and Hurts ran it into himself to give his team a 28-7 advantage going into the fourth quarter. With that result, Hurts passed Cam Newton for fastest touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season (including the playoffs) with 15.
Not how they worked it out
McCaffrey checked in at QB for the Niners late in the fourth quarter, but things definitely didn’t go as planned.
Seal the deal
The Eagles kept pouring it out as the second half drew to a close. Tensions ran high as fights erupted between games, resulting in the ejection of Eagles safety K’Von Wallace and 49ers tackle Trent Williams.
In the end, the Adler secured the home win with 31:7 with a late game fiddly recoverypunching their ticket to Super Bowl LVII (February 12, 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App) – their fourth-ever Super Bowl appearance.
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