PHILADELPHIA — Anyone up for a rematch?
The 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles don’t seem to have had a long rivalry, but the bad blood is real.
After a slow start, the 49ers dominated the Eagles 42-19 and moved within one game of first place in the NFC playoffs.
These teams could head into a game in late January with a spot in the Super Bowl on the line, just like they did a year ago.
The Eagles played their third game in 13 days and fell to 10-2 on the season, while the 49ers won four straight to improve to 9-3. The 49ers now have the tiebreaker advantage over the Eagles. In case that happens.
Quarterback Brock Purdy has strengthened his momentum to become an NFL MVP candidate, surpassing Jalen Hurts, who entered this week as the leading candidate for the award.
Purdy completed 19 of 27 pass attempts for 314 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
Hurts left the game late in the third quarter to be diagnosed with a concussion. He completed 26 of 45 pass attempts for 298 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.
As expected, Sunday’s game was a little shaky. Then in the third quarter, things escalated to a whole new level with a wild series of events.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw let Eagles linebacker DeVonta Smith lap him on the sideline after catching a 13-yard pass. Greenlaw then suplexed Smith right in front of Eagles chief security officer Dom DiSandro, resulting in a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness.
DiSandro approached Greenlaw and gave him the right words. Greenlaw returned with what appeared to be a jab to DiSandro’s face. Greenlaw was ejected from the game and officials forced DiSandro to be removed from the Eagles’ sideline.
Here are the main takeaways from the Week 13 game.
Samuel backs up his words
With RayRay McLeod inactive due to a rib injury, wide receiver Deebo Samuel took his place on kickoff return.
That’s why this game was so important to Samuel and the 49ers.
Samuel spoke out after the 49ers lost in last season’s NFC Championship Game, calling Eagles cornerback James Bradberry “trash.” He and Brandon Aiyuk did not credit the Eagles for a head-to-head win last January because of Purdy’s elbow injury.
In the rematch, Samuel and Aiyuk’s actions spoke volumes.
Samuel took a pitch from Purdy and sprinted near the right end for a 12-yard touchdown run, giving the 49ers some breathing room to close out their first drive of the third quarter. He and Aiyuk made their most outspoken statements last season after the 49ers’ loss to the Eagles. These two did their part to give the 49ers momentum in the third quarter.
After the Eagles got within 28-13 in the third quarter, Aiyuk caught a 10-yard pass from Purdy in a third-and-7 situation.
Two plays later, Purdy hit Samuel in stride on a crossing route. Samuel broke Morrow’s tackle attempt, moved up the field, carried cornerback Darius Slay into the end zone, and completed a 48-yard scoring play for a 28-13 lead.
Enhance red zone defense as needed
Through the first two possessions of the game, the Eagles dominated the 49ers everywhere except on the scoreboard.
The Eagles rolled for 120 yards and got seven first downs. However, the 49ers came up with some big defensive stops to minimize the damage. Philadelphia kicker Jake Elliott made field goals of 26 and 39 yards for a 6-0 lead.
Cornerback Charvarius Ward made a big play for San Francisco, breaking up Jalen Hurts’ pass to AJ Brown in the end zone and stopping the Eagles’ lead.
On the Eagles’ second possession, Javon Kinlaw bought enough time to register a 15-yard sack when Hurts slipped in 49ers coverage.
The 49ers put together a strong defensive effort against one of the league’s most potent offenses.
One of the keys to the 49ers defense was their ability to put the clamps on Eagles running back D’Andre Swift, who managed just 13 yards rushing on six carries.
Mr. McCaffrey joins Rhea
Christian McCaffrey did not touch the ball on the 49ers’ first two possessions of the game. He got it back as the game went on, and the 49ers piled up first downs.
McCaffrey ended up with 93 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts. He also caught three passes for 40 yards.
McCaffrey’s second-quarter touchdown was his 12th rushing score of the season and his 50th career touchdown on the ground.
He joins Hall of Famers Lenny Moore and Marshall Falk as the only players in NFL history with at least 50 rushing touchdowns and 25 receiving. Faulk had 100 rushing touchdowns and 36 receiving touchdowns, while Moore had 63 ground touchdowns and 48 receiving touchdowns.
McCaffrey has 27 touchdown receptions in his seven-year career. McCaffrey has five touchdown catches this season. The All-Pro’s receiving skills came at the perfect time for the 49ers in the third quarter.
In a third-and-three situation, Purdy found McCaffrey attacking alone against Eagles linebacker Nicholas Morrow’s coverage. McCaffrey stepped Morrow several times and made an over-the-shoulder catch for a 33-yard gain, setting up Samuel’s first touchdown of the third quarter.