Injured during the NFC Final lost last January, the 49ers quarterback had the last word this time. And with panache!
Philadelphia Eagles (10-2) – San Francisco 49ers (9-3): 19-42
Ten months after the NFC Final won by the Eagles against the 49ers decimated by injuries, the two teams met again on Sunday in Philadelphia for the big shock of the week. And this time, the scenario was radically different. The 49ers of Brock Purdy (19/27 passing, 314 YDS, 4 TD) and Deebo Samuel (4 REC, 116 YDS, 22 YDS rushing, 3 TD total) simply outclassed their rival to tighten the race at the top of the conference.
Missed opportunities for Philadelphia
If the final score is very heavy for the Eagles, the match could have turned out differently if Philadelphia had not wasted its first two offensive possessions of the match. On each of them, Philly reached the opposing red zone after two big receptions from AJ Brown (8 REC, 114 YDS) and a big efficiency on third attempt. But each time, Nick Sirianni's men had to settle for a field goal.
Result: only 6-0 on the scoreboard while the Eagles largely dominated the first quarter on both sides of the ball.
The 49ers in steamroller mode
-6. This is the number of yards that the 49ers offense had after this first quarter. Brock Purdy was manhandled by the opposing pass rush, San Francisco was completely out of rhythm, and we had to wait until the second quarter to finally see a California first down. But then ? We witnessed a real avalanche.
6 drives, 6 touchdowns, 42 points scored.
Once she got the first one going, the 49ers offense didn't stop. The main architects of this offensive demonstration? Brock Purdy first, diabolically effective once he was better protected by his line. Runner Christian McCaffrey also (17 races, 93 YDS, 1 TD, 40 YDS receiving), who allowed the 49ers to install their game on the ground while contributing in the air. As for Brandon Aiyuk (5 REC, 46 YDS, 1 TD) and George Kittle (4 REC, 68 YDS), they were equal to themselves. And then there was the Deebo Samuel show, who took pleasure in teasing Eagles fans with each of his three touchdowns.
Opposite, Philadelphia failed to keep up. It was as if the Eagles had their wings clipped after their first two offensive possessions.
Jalen Hurts (26/45, 298 YDS, 1 TD, 1 rushing TD) had to face opposing pressure, the running game did not carry any weight (46 YDS), and they were never able to recover momentum. We believed it at one point in the third quarter, when Philly came back within one possession (13-21) after a lunar sequence where Dre Greenlaw (linebacker of the 49ers) was expelled in the company of the… responsible for Eagles security following an altercation along the sideline. But Samuel's 48-yard touchdown (helped by a non-whistle holding) on the following drive immediately cooled Lincoln Financial Field.
19-42 final score, a real demonstration!
DEEBO BREAKS A TACKLE AND GOES ALL THE WAY
📺: #SFvsPHI on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/xvCjbLUIcN pic.twitter.com/4oGKuQ5DMD— NFL (@NFL) December 3, 2023
