Behind a stifling protective performance, the Philadelphia Eagles punched their ticket to Super Bowl LVII after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 31-7 in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.
Quarterback and fine woes tainted San Francisco throughout the video game. The Niners were compelled to largely count on the ground game, with running back Christian McCaffrey audit for their goal. All 4 of the Eagles’ goals were hurrying TDs– including 2 by running back Miles Sanders.
The Eagles will certainly face either the Kansas City Chiefs or Cincinnati Bengals in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 12 (6:30 p.m. ET, Fox).
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles didn’t simply breakthrough to Super Dish LVII– they bulldozed their way in. Initially, a 38-7 trouncing of the New York Giants in the local round of the playoffs. Then, a clobbering of the best the NFC needed to provide, the San Francisco 49ers, in the NFC National Championship.
It is the Eagles’ fourth journey to the Super Dish in their history– their most recent can be found in the 2017 season when they won their first Lombardi Trophy. That year, they weren’t favored in any of their playoff games as well as played the underdog card so hard that gamers put on canine masks following each success. This group, in contrast, has been the class of the seminar from start to finish, completely comfortable in the alpha role.
The Eagles leaned into their staminas against the 49ers The team that had 32 rushing touchdowns in the normal period– third most in NFL history– scored on the ground 4 times versus San Francisco. And also a defensive device that paced the organization with 70 sacks had 3 as well as seven QB strikes in spite of minimal dropbacks as a result of the injuries to 49ers quarterbacks Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson.
They roll right into Glendale, Arizona, understanding they’re at the very least as good as any type of group in the organization.
Pivotal play: Coach Nick Sirianni’s decision to go all out on fourth-and-1 from Philly’s own 34-yard line midway through the second quarter. Philadelphia has actually been hostile on fourth down all period, yet to go for it against this 49ers defense in its very own area took some guts. Jalen Injures gotten the initially down on a QB sneak, and the Eagles took place to finish a 14-play, 75-yard drive, with a Sanders touchdown– his secondly of the day– placing Philly up 14-7.
QB breakdown: It was difficult sledding against one of the very best defenses in the organization. Injures ended up the initial fifty percent with minus-1 rushing lawns, which marked the lowest first-half total of his career as a beginning QB. He ended up 15-of-25 for 121 backyards with no goals or interceptions with the air however got points taking place the ground in the 2nd fifty percent, consisting of a 1-yard rating late in the third quarter to ice the video game.
Describe the game in two words: Punishing protection. Edge rush Haason Reddick led the way. In the very first fifty percent alone, when this video game was won, Reddick had two sacks, three pressures, a forced fumble as well as a fumble recuperation. Purdy experienced an arm joint injury and Johnson left the game with a concussion, requiring Purdy back in as well as McCaffrey to manage some quarterback breaks.
Underrated stat to know: Entering this year, the Eagles had rushed for 3 or even more touchdowns in a playoff game only when in their history. They’ve done it twice this year, rushing for four goals Sunday (3 in the initial half) after competing 3 scores recently in their local round success over the Giants.
San Francisco 49ers
In lots of ways, the 49ers’ season ended Sunday like it started– with a host of inquiries about what, exactly, is going to take place at quarterback.
This season has been noted by upheaval at the video game’s most important setting. Most of that was the result of injuries per of their chosen signal-callers. Through all of it, the 49ers, possibly the least quarterback-dependent group in the NFL, took care of to not just make it through, yet grow.
It brought them to Lincoln Financial Area on Sunday with a possibility to reach Super Bowl LVII so they might rip off the high-powered Eagles
Yet all of the Niners’ quarterback distress lastly caught up to them at the most awful possible time. By the end of Sunday’s loss, they could no more overcome the injuries since they were left without anyone capable of leading the charge.
Hope went away when Purdy suffered a best elbow injury on the group’s first offensive collection. The Niners resorted to Johnson, their 4th quarterback of the period, who was signed from the Denver Broncos’ practice team on Dec. 6.
Johnson made his very first postseason appearance given that entering the organization in 2009, but it wouldn’t last long. He left early in the third quarter with a trauma, leaving Purdy, unable of throwing the ball downfield, to find back in.
And with that said, the Niners’ opportunities of a distressed vanished.
In an alternating world, perhaps Trey Lance would have been able to conserve the day. Or perhaps Jimmy Garoppolo could have placed the finishing touches on an impressive reunion excursion. Or Purdy could have ended up being the first rookie quarterback to lead his group to a Super Bowl. However none of that happened. And now the Niners head into an additional offseason with lots of quarterback uncertainty.
Describe the game in two words: Mistake-filled. Given the quarterback situation, the 49ers were already encountering an uphill climb Sunday, yet they didn’t do themselves any prefers with duplicated miscues. In addition to their turnovers, the Niners dedicated 11 penalties for 81 lawns, including a handful that kept Philadelphia scoring drives to life.
Stat that matters: Turnovers are the most important sign in wins and losses for each team, and the Niners have actually been a prime example this period. Heading into Sunday, the Niners were 15-0 in video games in which they had one or fewer turn overs. They were 0-4 when they had 2 or more.
Versus the Eagles, they had 3 free gifts as well as shed, continuing the fad from the rest of the season.
Pivotal play: Dealing with fourth-and-3 at the Niners’ 35 on the video game’s opening drive, Eagles trainer Nick Sirianni determined to go all out. Harms lobbed a pass deep down the left sideline for wideout DeVonta Smith, who showed up to make a remarkable diving catch, a minimum of in the eyes of the officials.
However Smith was unclear that he captured it and alertly obtained his colleagues to the line of skirmish to attempt to break the sphere prior to the 49ers might see a replay and issue a difficulty. Smith’s scheme worked as well as the Niners did not obstacle, giving the Eagles an initially down at San Francisco’s 6. They scored two plays later.
Underrated stat to know: McCaffrey had 25 backyards after contact on his second-quarter goal run. He’s the very first player with a postseason thrill TD with at least 25 YAC since Jamaal Charles had one for the Chiefs in the 2010 AFC wild-card round.
Last Updated: 30 January 2023
