The Eagles dominated the 49ers--no matter who was SF's QB

Eagles head to Arizona as favorites. What do 49ers and Bengals need to fix this offseason? #ConferenceChampionshipReview

The Eagles dominated the 49ers from the opening whistle. The Chiefs didn’t even need a whistle.

Eagles vs 49ers

There was never any question in this game. The Eagles probably come out as the initial favorite going into the Super Bowl.

The Eagles began with a methodical scoring drive. On the Niners’ drive, the Eagles' defense got after Purdy. When Hasaan Reddick got to him on his third pass attempt of his game (which would be ruled a fumble), he either didn’t sense his presence or chose to ignore it.

Lee Harvey @MusikFan4Life

Brock Purdy : 4/4 for 23 yards & a lost fumble (Right elbow injury in the 1st quarter after he got his arm hit by Haason Reddick. He returned in the 3rd quarter after Josh Johnson got a concussion but he only threw 1 pass after coming back into the game)

The result was a play reminiscent of some of Purdy’s worst plays in college. He tries to get the ball away, no matter how badly he’s going down, leading to some very ugly and costly fumbles.

John Kurtz @jlkurtz

I think it looks like this

Cyclone Larry @CycloneLarry69

The biggest knock they can come up with for Brock Purdy 7 games into his career is is “we don’t know what it looks like when he plays bad.”

The sack also hurt Purdy’s elbow, and he couldn’t throw for the rest of the game. (He only attempted two passes for four yards after returning in the third.) Josh Johnson replaced him, and the Niners scored their only touchdown on a 23-yard Christian McCaffrey run, but Johnson went into concussion protocol after his head slammed against the ground.

San Fran’s QB troubles undeniably hurt them. The Eagles knew Purdy couldn’t throw, and they were able to play the run aggressively because they knew the Niners were running almost every play.

But it would be wrong to blame the loss entirely on Purdy’s injury. It would be wrong for Niners fans to lament what could have been. Everyone say how well Purdy played last week against the Cowboys—not terribly but not good enough to elevate his team. He looked even more rattled this game. The 49ers were not going to put up 31 points with Jimmy G, Trey Lance, or Brock Purdy at quarterback.

The Eagles outproduced the Niners in every quarter.

49ers’ Offseason Needs

The 49ers must address their pass rush this offseason. Despite Nick Bosa leading the league in sacks, the Niners were only slightly above average in team sacks and couldn’t get anything done in the playoffs. Bosa didn’t make a single sack in the playoffs and only put two hits on opposing QBs. As a team, they only made one sack against Philadelphia, one against Dallas, and three on Seattle.

Both San Fran and Philly have top five offensive lines, but only Philly’s D-line could get something done to change the course of the game. Niners defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans is probably going to take a head coaching job, so they will find it harder to do something with scheme.

After Bosa (91.0 PFF grade), San Fran’s next best edge defender is Charles Omenihu (70.0), a fifth-rounder in Bosa’s draft year, and its best interior linemen, Arik Armstead (63.1) and Hassan Ridgeway (58.8) both leave much to be desired. Omenihu and Ridgeway are both free agents.

The Eagles’ DT Javon Hargrave could be available in free agency, as well as Commanders’ DT Daron Payne, Broncos’ DT Dre’mont Jones, Cardinals’ DT Zach Allen, Browns’ DE Jadeveon Clowney, and Saints’ DE Marcus Davenport.

Chiefs vs Bengals

Even having to play with a painful ankle at Burrowhead Stadium, Patrick Mahomes did just enough to win.