The Philadelphia Eagles hosted the San Francisco 49ers for the Wild Card round. The Eagles finished the season 11-6. San Francisco finished the season 12-5. Both teams were opposite from one another as the 49ers dealt with a lot of injuries and finished the season on a high note. The Eagles offense was very inconsistent all season long which caused many problems this season and in this game.
The 49ers offense started early on the opening drive as Brock Purdy found Demarcus Robinson for a 61 yard gain. On 2nd and goal the two would connect again as Purdy found Robinson for the touchdown as the 49ers struck first. Saquon Barkley would have his way next drive as he had a 29 yard run to get into 49ers territory. Hurts found A.J. Brown for a 10 yard gain. On 3rd and goal Dallas Goedert ran left for a rushing touchdown. Jake Elliot missed the field goal and the 49ers remained with the lead 7-6.
The 49ers would punt twice and the Eagles would have a turnover on downs towards the end of the first quarter. In the 2nd quarter, On 3rd and 14 Hurts found Devonta Smith for a 13 yard gain. Hurts would run up the middle to convert on 4th down and then throw a short pass to Saquon Barkley for 20 yards. On 4th and 2 the Eagles would convert again as Jalen Hurts found Dallas Goedert in the endzone for the touchdown. Jake Elliott made the field goal which put the Eagles up 13-7. The 49ers superstar tight end George Kittle caught a pass for six yards but after being tackled, had to be carted off the field. Kittle suffered an achilles injury and did not return. Later in the drive, Brock Purdy would fire a deep pass to Jauan Jennings for 45 yards but the visitors would have to settle for a field goal to make it a three point game.
Towards the end of the first half the drama would intensify for the Eagles. Hurts would throw a deep pass up the middle to A.J. Brown with three defenders surrounding him but it would be incomplete as A.J Brown was shaken up. Hurts would then try to find Brown again on the sideline but he dropped it. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and A.J Brown started yelling at each other on the sidelines and had to be separated. The Eagles led at halftime 13-10.
Philly would punt at the beginning of the third quarter. Brock Purdy would throw a pass intended for Skyy Moore but it was picked off by Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. Both teams would punt on their next two drives. Elliott would make another field goal for the Eagles to extend the lead 16-10. At the San Francisco 33 yard line, Purdy found Kyle Juszczyk for 27 yards. At the beginning of the 4th quarter, the 49ers did a trick play as Jauan Jennings threw a 29 yard dime to Christian McCaffrey for the touchdown. Eddy Pineiro made the field goal as the 49ers took the lead 17-16. The Eagles would punt on the next possession but Purdy threw a bad pass and Mitchell intercepted it again. The Eagles would retake the lead as Elliott made the field goal to make it a 19-17 lead.
The 49ers would have possession next in a must score scenario. Purdy found Demarcus Robinson for 16 yards to get into Philadelphia territory. McCaffrey made key plays including an 11 yard catch and a 10 yard run during the drive. On 3rd and goal, Purdy found McCaffrey for the touchdown and gave the 49ers the lead. Pineiro missed the field goal and it was a four point lead 23-19 for San Francisco. On 4th and 5 for the Eagles with the season on the line Hurts found Dallas Goedert for 15 yards. On 3rd and 11 Hurts fired a pass to Devonta Smith but it was dropped. On 4th and 11 with the season on the line Jalen Hurts threw a pass intended for Goedert that was broken up by Eric Kendricks. The 49ers hung on and won 23-19 on the road.
Philadelphia’s quest for a repeat ended in the wild card round. A lot of questions have arisen for the Eagles in the future such as whether A.J. Brown will be traded. They already fired offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. Hurts will now have his fifth different offensive coordinator.
San Francisco will move forward without George Kittle as he tore his achilles. The 49ers next play their division rival Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round on the road.
