Recap
AI summary, sourced from 2 period articles (ESPN AP)
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the 49ers 31-7 at Lincoln Financial Field in the NFC Championship game Sunday afternoon. Brock Purdy injured his throwing elbow on a Haason Reddick sack on the 49ers' opening drive, leaving the game and returning briefly. Josh Johnson, the third-string quarterback, replaced him and left in the third quarter with a concussion. Purdy returned but could not throw with the torn UCL. The 49ers' offense, with both quarterbacks limited, produced 164 yards and 7 points. Christian McCaffrey scored the 49ers' only touchdown on an 23-yard run. Deebo Samuel produced 24 yards on three rushes and three catches.[1][2][3][4]
Columnist recap
AI summary, sourced from 2 period articles (ESPN AP)
The 49ers played the NFC Championship game without a healthy quarterback. Brock Purdy tore his UCL on a sack from Haason Reddick on the team's opening drive at Lincoln Financial Field. Josh Johnson, the third-string quarterback, replaced him and left with a concussion in the third quarter. Purdy returned but could not throw. The Philadelphia Eagles beat the 49ers 31-7.
Purdy played his last meaningful snap with 13:50 left in the first quarter. Reddick came off the edge on a third-and-3, hit Purdy's throwing elbow, and the UCL tore. Josh Johnson replaced him. The 49ers' offense produced one Christian McCaffrey rushing touchdown across four quarters. McCaffrey ran 11 times for 84 yards. Deebo Samuel combined 24 yards on six touches. The kind of NFC Championship game where the offense produced 7 points and could not throw the football.
Jalen Hurts ran for 39 and a touchdown. Miles Sanders ran for 42 and two touchdowns. Boston Scott ran for 21 and a touchdown. The Eagles' offensive line, with Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce, ran 44 times for 148 yards. The Eagles' offense generated 25 first downs and held the football for 38 minutes. The kind of NFC Championship loss where the year-six project's competitive identity, in the worst injury sequence in franchise playoff history, fell to a Philadelphia team that did exactly what it needed to do once the 49ers' offense could not throw. 15-5.
By the numbers
AI summary, sourced from 2 period articles (ESPN AP)
Eagles 31, 49ers 7. Margin: -24. NFC Championship.
- Brock Purdy: 4-of-8 for 23, 0 TD, 0 INT (tore UCL on opening drive, Reddick sack). - Josh Johnson: 7-of-13 for 74, 0 TD, 0 INT (concussion Q3). - Christian McCaffrey: 11 carries for 84, 1 rushing TD + 4 catches for 22. - George Kittle: 3 catches for 32. - Deebo Samuel: 4 carries for -9 + 3 catches for 33. - Brandon Aiyuk: 1 catch for 10. - Jalen Hurts: 15-of-25 for 121, 0 TD + 11 carries for 39, 1 rushing TD. - Miles Sanders: 17 carries for 42, 2 rushing TDs. - Boston Scott: 5 carries for 21, 1 rushing TD. - Kenneth Gainwell: 14 carries for 48 + 2 catches for 26. - DeVonta Smith: 2 catches for 36. - AJ Brown: 4 catches for 28.
Film room
AI summary, sourced from 2 period articles (ESPN AP)
A 31-7 NFC Championship road loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The 49ers fall to 15-5 and the year-six Shanahan project's 2022 ends in the kind of conference championship game where injury luck defined the result.
How it unfolded
The Eagles opened with a Jalen Hurts goal-line rushing touchdown after a sustained drive. The 49ers' opening drive ended on Reddick's third-and-3 sack of Brock Purdy. Purdy's throwing elbow caught the brunt of the contact. He left for the medical tent and returned to the sideline holding his arm. Josh Johnson took over. Christian McCaffrey ran in a 23-yard touchdown to tie it 7-7 in the second quarter.
The turning point
Haason Reddick's third-and-3 sack of Brock Purdy on the 49ers' opening drive. With the championship-game stakes obvious and the year-six project's rookie quarterback making his third playoff start, Reddick's edge rush produced the elbow injury that tore Purdy's UCL and left the 49ers without a healthy throwing quarterback for the remaining three-and-a-half quarters.
By the numbers
Purdy 4-of-8 for 23 before the injury. Josh Johnson 7-of-13 for 74 before the concussion. Combined 49ers' quarterback line: 11-of-21 for 97 with no touchdowns. McCaffrey 11 carries for 84 with a TD plus four catches for 22. Kittle 3 catches for 32. Deebo Samuel 4 carries for -9 plus three catches for 33. Jalen Hurts 15-of-25 for 121 plus 39 rushing with a TD. Miles Sanders 17 carries for 42 with two TDs. Boston Scott's rushing TD.
Personnel watch
Brock Purdy's UCL injury defining the franchise's offseason. Josh Johnson's concussion. The third-string quarterback scenario nobody had planned for. The Eagles' offensive line's 148-yard rushing performance. The kind of NFC Championship-game loss where the year-six project's competitive identity, in the worst injury sequence in franchise playoff history, fell to a Philadelphia team that did exactly what it needed to do once the 49ers' offense could not throw.
What it means
15-5. Season ends. The Eagles advance to Super Bowl LVII in Glendale against the Chiefs (the Eagles will lose 38-35). The kind of NFC Championship-game loss that, in real time, defined the offseason's quarterback conversation: Brock Purdy's UCL surgery and recovery timetable. Trey Lance still on injured reserve. Jimmy Garoppolo a pending free agent. The 2023 season will be Brock Purdy's, assuming the UCL heals in time for training camp.
