December 03, 2023
The Philadelphia Eagles got absolutely wrecked, 42-19, at home in a humbling loss to the San Francisco 49ers. As always, win, lose, or tie, we hand out 10 awards.
This game started out promisingly enough for the Eagles, as the first four drives went like so:
• Eagles: 12 plays, 67 yards, 5:09 time of possession FG.
• 49ers: 3 plays, -2 yards, 1:02 time of possession, punt.
• Eagles: 12 plays, 53 yards, 6:48 time of possession, FG.
• 49ers: 3 plays, -4 yards, 1:01 time of possession, punt
The Eagles dominated the first quarter. They outgained the Niners 124 to -6. But they only had 6 points to show for it, and on the Niners' third offensive possession they took the lead with a touchdown. (They then scored touchdowns on each of their next five offensive possessions as well.)
When the Eagles got into the red zone, they couldn't close. The Niners were the closers on Sunday.
The Niners' skill position players are known for their ability to take short-to-intermediate passes and turn them into huge gains with yards after the catch. It was imperative that the Eagles get guys like Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, and Christian McCaffrey to the ground after catches so that good Niners plays didn't turn into great ones.
They failed. The Eagles' tackling was atrocious in this game, and responsible for a number of monster Niners gains on the night. The worst example was Nicholas Morrow's missed tackle on Samuel, which then ran for a 48-yard TD.
DEEBO BREAKS A TACKLE AND GOES ALL THE WAY
— NFL (@NFL) December 3, 2023
📺: #SFvsPHI on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/xvCjbLUIcN pic.twitter.com/4oGKuQ5DMD
Yuck.
The Niners had their way working the middle of the field in the passing game, and running to the perimeter on rushing plays. The main culprit in both cases? The Eagles' linebackers.
I don't know how much Shaq Leonard will help if he signs with the team in the next 24-48 hours, but what is clear is that they're not going to fare well against this 49ers team if they have to roll with Morrow and Christian Elliss again.
The Eagles' secondary didn't make a play the entire game. In fact, as a defense, they had 1 pass breakup on the evening, which was by Jordan Davis, on the Niners' first play of the game.
The Niners had 11 (!) pass breakups. They made plays.
Samuel may very well be a bad guy who had no reason whatsoever to call James Bradberry "trash" this offseason and then double down on his words when asked about them this week.
But... dude had 4 catches on 4 targets for 116 yards and 2 TDs, plus 3 carries for 22 yards and another TD. Samuel has cemented himself as a villain in Philly, but he killed them on Sunday.
Purdy completed 19 of 27 passes for 314 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, and passer rating of 148.8. He threw all night to wide-open receivers, who, again, as noted above, broke tackles and made plays.
That's not to diminish Purdy's performance. He found the open guys, and put the ball on them in accurate spots so they could maximize their yards after the catch. He's kind of a perfect fit for the outstanding skill position players in the Niners' offenses, playing point guard, distributing, and watching those guys eat.
Hurts was knocked out of the game for a short period and underwent evaluation for a concussion. He did return. On the night, Hurts was 26 of 45 for 298 yards, 1 TD, and 0 INTs. That's not a bad game statistically, but the Eagles' offense never looked quite right after the first two drives of the game.
He was protected well for the most part by the Eagles' offensive line, but receivers had difficulty getting open or Hurts wasn't finding them if they did.
20 years from now, we probably won't remember who scored touchdowns in this game or the final score, but I'll sure as hell remember when the Eagles' head of security, Dom DiSandro, got into it with 49ers LB Dre Greenlaw.
Big Dom vs Greenlaw pic.twitter.com/nz130WjADt
— Fitz (@LaurieFitzptrck) December 3, 2023
Big Dom got tossed too lol. Legend. pic.twitter.com/APFL7wSwoY
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) December 3, 2023
The 49ers outscored the Cowboys and Eagles 84-29 this season. Yes, they lost three straight games in the middle of the season and the Eagles may still have a better record, but there's little question that they are the best team in the NFC right now.
The Eagles are now four games through the difficult part of their schedule.
THE GUANTLET ☠️
• Week 9: Cowboys: W
• Week 10: BYE
• Week 11: At Chiefs W
• Week 12: Bills W
• Week 13: 49ers L
• Week 14: At Cowboys
• Week 15: At Seahawks
It won't get much easier next week when the Eagles face the Cowboys, a team that the Eagles already beat this season, but also a team that seems to have the Birds' number.
The Eagles had the disadvantage of playing 95 defensive snaps against the Bills last Sunday on a short week, and then facing a Niners team that had three extra days of rest and preparation. Next Sunday they'll have to play a Cowboys team that once again will have three extra days of rest, except this time they'll have to do it on the road.
The Eagles' mettle has been tested over the last month, and it's only going to intensify against their biggest rival.
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