49ers blast Eagles 42-19 in feisty NFC Championship rematch

For months, the San Francisco 49ers talked the talk, and on Sunday, they walked the walk.

The 49ers made it clear on multiple occasions over the offseason they felt they would have beaten the Philadelphia Eagles in last season's NFC Championship game had they not lost quarterback Brock Purdy due to injury, and they had the chance to prove it in a long-awaited rematch at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday. The game was a spirited one as expected, with two ejections and things getting testy between the two teams on multiple occasions, but in the end the 49ers wound up making an impressive statement, blowing out the Eagles by the score of 42-19.

After a cold start that saw them fall in a 6-0 hole, the 49ers put on a dominant display on offense that included six consecutive touchdown drives against one of the NFL's most heralded defenses. Purdy finished 19-of-27 for 314 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions, while wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who was among the most vocal 49ers when it came to expressing opinions about last season's game, put together four catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns along with three carries for 22 yards and one rushing touchdown. Running back Christian McCaffrey ran for 93 yards on 17 carries while going over 1,000 yards for the season, while quarterback Jalen Hurts finished with 298 yards and one touchdown on 26-of-45 passing.

First Half

The Eagles began the game with possession and put together a strong opening drive, albeit one that was stopped before reaching the end zone. A 36-yard completion from Hurts to wide receiver A.J. Brown put the Eagles in 49ers' territory, but on a 3rd-and-7 from the 49ers' 8-yard line later in the drive, 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward broke up a pass intended for Brown in the end zone to halt the drive. Kicker Jake Elliott capped the drive with a 26-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead.

A three-and-out from the 49ers followed the field goal, then the Eagles drove deep into 49ers territory once again on the next possession. But the Eagles were forced to settle for another field goal after Hurts slipped and fell to the turf when dropping back to pass, which was covered for a sack by defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. Elliott connected from 39 yards out two plays later to give the Eagles a 6-0 lead late in the first quarter.

The 49ers entered into their third possession with just minus-6 yards of total offense but were able to get things going offensively with an 11-play, 85-yard drive that ended in 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. A 32-yard pass to tight end George Kittle earlier in the drive moved the 49ers to the Eagles' 10-yard line, then after an offsides penalty gave the 49ers a second chance on 3rd-and-Goal, Purdy connected with a diving Aiyuk for a touchdown and a 7-6 lead.

The Eagles were held to their second consecutive punt after the touchdown, then the 49ers took over with 4:37 remaining in the game and put together a 10-play, 90-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run from McCaffrey with 38 seconds remaining. A 25-yard catch by Kittle and a 13-yard catch by Aiyuk helped the 49ers move downfield, then Samuel set the 49ers up at the 5-yard line with a 14-yard run with less than a minute remaining. McCaffrey finished the job to put the 49ers up 14-6, which was the score at halftime after the Eagles ran out the clock on the ensuing possession.

Their dominant performance in the second quarter led the 49ers to an overall yardage edge of 167-145 at the break despite being held to negative yardage in the first quarter. Purdy finished the half with 118 yards and one touchdown on 9-of-15 passing, while Hurts went 13-for-22 for 143 yards.

Second Half

Things picked up where they left off to start the second half for the 49ers, who opened the third quarter with a seven-play, 75-yard drive that finished with a 12-yard run from Samuel to give the 49ers a 21-6 lead. The 49ers got two key third-down plays earlier in the drive when Purdy hit wide receiver Jauan Jennings for an 18-yard completion on a 3rd-and-5 while later finding McCaffrey for a 33-yard gain to the 12-yard line on a 3rd-and-3, then Samuel cruised into the end zone on an end-around to give the 49ers their third consecutive touchdown.

Drama ensued on the following drive when a sideline altercation resulted in the ejections of 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw and Eagles chief security officer Dom DiSandro. The incident took place after Greenlaw picked up Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith during a tackle and threw him to the ground, which resulted in a personal foul penalty against Greenlaw. Things then got heated on the sideline when Greenlaw and DiSandro made contact with each other and wound up being ejected from the game.

The ejections were part of a drive that re-energized the Eagles, who cut the 49ers' lead to 21-13 after a 10-play, 58-yard drive. The Eagles found themselves in a 1st-and-Goal from the 2-yard line after a 12-yard completion to Brown on a 3rd-and-12, then used back-to-back "Brotherly Shove" plays to get into the end zone.

The 49ers counterpunched in a big way on the next possession, courtesy of Samuel's second touchdown of the game. A 10-yrd completion to Aiyuk and a 16-yard run from McCaffrey helped get the 49ers to the Eagles' 48-yard line, then Purdy got the ball to Samuel, who shook a tackle and turned on the jets for a 48-yard touchdown and a 28-13 lead.

A three-and-out from the Eagles followed the Samuel touchdown, then the 49ers kept pouring it on with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended in an 18-yard catch from Jennings for a touchdown and a 35-13 lead. Much of the drive consisted of the 49ers grinding away on the ground with McCaffrey and running back Elijah Mitchell, then on a 3rd-and-5 play Purdy found Jennings, who made a move to dodge a tackle before trotting into the end zone.

The Eagles answered with a 13-play, 71-yard drive that culminated in a two-yard touchdown pass from Hurts to Smith, which cut the 49ers' lead to 35-19 after a failed two-point conversion attempt. Hurts missed the first five plays of the drive while being evaluated for a concussion, then returned to the game to finish the drive and bring the Eagles back to within two scores with 5:33 remaining.

Samuel scored his final touchdown of the game on the next possession, which lasted all of two plays. The 49ers started on the Eagles' 48-yard line after an onsides kick attempt, then after false start penalty on left tackle Trent Williams and a 6-yard run from McCaffrey, Samuel took a short pass from Purdy and weaved through traffic for a 46-yard score.

The Eagles ran a 10-play, 55-yard drive after Samuel's touchdown before turning the ball over on downs, then the 49ers ran out the clock on their final possession. The 49ers improved to 9-3 with the win, moving one game back of the now 10-2 Eagles in the NFC playoff standings.

Game Notes: The 49ers now lead the all-time series against the Eagles with a mark of 21-15-1... The 49ers were listed as three-point favorites over the Eagles coming into Sunday's game... Per ESPN, McCaffrey's first quarter touchdown, which was his 17th overall touchdown of the season, made him one of three players in NFL history with 50 or more career rushing touchdowns and 25 or more career receiving touchdowns. McCaffrey, running back Marshall Faulk and halfback/flanker Lenny Moore are the only players to achieve the feat... The 49ers return home next week for their second matchup in three weeks against the Seattle Seahawks (4:05 p.m. ET/1:05 p.m. PT, FOX), while the Eagles will head into a Sunday night game on the road against the Dallas Cowboys (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC).

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