No Love Lost in the City of Brotherly Love
He’s beat two of the top three MVP candidates this season and by decisive scores. He’s shown that he can take losses and bounce back. But above all, he has shown that he deserves to be in the conversation with other elite quarterbacks across the league as well as in the MVP conversation.
(AP Photo/Chris Szagola) A.P. Photo
The San Francisco 49ers in 2022 went through three quarterbacks. Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance went down early in the season, paving the way for Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy. Purdy was taken with the last pick of the 2022 draft out of Iowa State and expected to be the 3rd string QB behind Trey Lance and Jimmy G if he were to make the team after training camp.
Brock’s Resurgence from Injury
Purdy made the team and quickly found himself thrust into the starting job after season ending injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy G. He went on a miracle run, winning all five of his regular season starts to finish out the year and propel the 49ers into the playoffs. Winning the first two rounds of the playoffs, Purdy was going to play the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC Championship at The Link in his rookie season.
On the first drive, Purdy gets hit in the elbow, tearing his UCL instantly. With backup Josh Johnson at the helm, the Eagles annihilated the 49ers 31-7, punching their ticket to the Super Bowl.
The 49ers ended the 2022 season with a sour taste in their mouths. A rollercoaster of a season turned Cinderella story, came crashing down in just 6 offensive snaps into the NFC Championship game.
Purdy received Tommy John surgery in the offseason. A surgery normally given to MLB pitchers to repair their UCL. It’s uncommon to see an NFL quarterback go through this injury so Purdy’s status for the 2023 season was questionable.
Purdy rehabbed and was cleared for week one of the 2023 season and came out with a chip on his shoulder. Starting out 5-0 the 49ers looked poised for another run at the Super Bowl.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) is sacked by San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (99) during the second half of an NFL football game,. (Matt Slocum/AP)
The Rematch
December 3rd, 2023. Week 13 of the regular season, the 49ers returned to The Link to play the Eagles in a rematch of the NFC Championship game that left them with so many ‘what ifs’ to end their season just shy of a year ago.
The Eagles, arguably the best team in the NFL with a10-1 record and an MVP candidate quarterback in Jalen Hurts, looked to silence the 49ers and end the debate for good on what would have happened if Purdy stayed healthy.
The Eagles looked good right away. They had 14 straight wins against opponents with winning records heading into the matchup. With the 49ers at 8-3 on the year and the number one defense in the league allowing on average 15.5 points per game, the fewest in the NFL, it was going to be a battle.
The Eagles lost the toss but come out firing. They score a field goal on their first drive and the offense was clicking against the 49ers defense. Purdy was going to get his first drive against the Eagles for the first time since his injury. He goes 3 and out. The Eagles get the ball back and secure another field goal giving them a 6-0 lead. After the first quarter, the Eagles led 6-0, had 124 offensive yards compared to San Francisco’s -6 and controlled the time of possession 12:57 to 2:03.
Purdy did not complete a pass in the 1st quarter and with all the hype heading into this matchup, it seemed the Eagles were destined for another blowout victory to silence the critics.
Christian McCaffery VS the Philidelphia Eagles - Dec 3 2023 - USA Today
But Kyle Shannahan and Brock Purdy went to work in the 2nd quarter. A dart to Brandon Aiyuk early in the 2nd quarter gave the 49ers a 7-6 lead. The defense forces an Eagles punt and Purdy builds on the lead with a 10 play, 90-yard drive capped off with a Christian McCaffrey TD run to end the first half 14-6 49ers lead. It was McCaffrey’s 12th rushing TD on the season, breaking the single season record for the 49ers.
The 49ers got the ball back after halftime, capping off a great drive with a Deebo Samuel rushing TD to make it 21-6. That’s 21 unanswered points by the 49ers. Purdy had taken over.
Say what you want about Brock Purdy being a ‘system quarterback’ albeit, Kyle Shannahan is an offensive guru. But Purdy is first in the NFL in air yards per attempt with 9.5. He has a 70% completion rate with 23 TDs and 6 INTs just 13 weeks into his first full season as an NFL starting QB. He’s taken down Dak Prescott (MVP candidate) and was staring at another win against a former Super Bowl champion in Jalen Hurts (MVP candidate).
With a 21-6 lead, San Francisco’s defense took over, looking for another big stop when all hell broke loose. Dre Greenlaw tackled DeVonta Smith on the Eagles sideline prompting a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness. A man in Eagles gear with an earpiece, who we now know as Dom DiSandro, put his hands on Greenlaw trying to break up any extra curriculars after the play. Greenlaw took exception, understandably, and put his hand toward DiSandro’s face, just barely making contact with his nose. More flags flew. Other players stepped in and finally everyone was back to their own sidelines. The officials convened and came to the conclusion that Greenlaw had to be ejected from the game. DiSandro was also thrown out for the scuffle.
Eagles staffer ‘Big Dom’ barred from sidelines vs. Cowboys after altercation with 49ers
DiSandro is the Chief Security Officer for the Eagles. He monitors the sidelines vigilantly for any possible threat coming from the stands or elsewhere on the field. So, what was he doing in the middle of a scuffle with an opposing team’s linebacker? It’s a great question. On the replay, you see Disandro not monitoring the sideline for threats, but actually telling the refs they needed to throw a flag on Greenlaw for the hit on Smith, acting as if he was a coach or some personnel for the team. Why is a security officer invested in a game he’s supposed to be working? Regardless, both men were ejected, and the game continued. But there should be some sort of disciplinary action by the league against DiSandro. There’s likely a hefty fine headed to Dre Greenlaw’s mailbox in the coming days. If a security officer can touch a player, get that player ejected, then why doesn’t every team in the league start doing that? It cost the Eagles nothing other than a security guard being escorted out by his own employees who were laughing, high fiving him, and cheering.
When the dust settled, the Eagles had the ball with great field position after the penalties. Hurts caps off the drive with a rushing TD late in the 3rd quarter to make it 21-13. Suddenly, we have a game.
Purdy and the 49ers respond with a quick strike to Deebo Samuel for a TD 3 minutes later making it 28-13 and answering the score swiftly. He then throws a dart to Jauan Jennings for a TD pass making it 35-13 about five minutes into the 4th quarter. Jalen Hurts get the ball back and gets banged up early on the next drive. Marcus Mariota came in at QB.
No players want to see anyone get injured playing the game, and this probably felt eerily similar to Purdy going down in the NFC Championship game. But Hurts went to the locker room and was cleared to come out for the next drive where he leads a scoring drive down the field ending with a Davonta Smith TD catch. The two-point conversion failed, and it was 35-19 with 6 minutes left in the game.
Purdy had another chance to pad the lead. He throws a screen pass to Deebo Samuel who takes it nearly 55 yards to the house for his third TD of the game and extending the 49ers lead to 42-19 which would ultimately be the final score.
Dec 3, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) scores a touchdown in front of Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship (32) during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
How Does this Shape the NFC?
So, the 49ers did it. They went into Philadelphia with a healthy team and beat the team that knocked them out of the playoffs 10 months ago. But what does that mean for both teams moving forward?
Well, for Brock Purdy, I think it answers a lot of questions from doubters across the league. He’s been called a system quarterback by some, but he’s proving with each week that he is more than capable of leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl.
He’s beat two of the top three MVP candidates this season and by decisive scores. He’s shown that he can take losses and bounce back. But above all, he has shown that he deserves to be in the conversation with other elite quarterbacks across the league as well as in the MVP conversation.
As for Jalen Hurts, I don’t think this is something that needs to be blown out of proportion. Hurts is a great quarterback in a great system that has been built around him and his ability to extend plays and be brilliant. He has the weapons; he has the offensive line and he has the defense. This one just seems like a tough loss to a team that wanted revenge and came out with something to prove and maybe just wanted it a little more.
This puts the Eagles at 10-2 and moves the 49ers to 9-3, effectively tightening the race for the number one seed in the NFC. It’s likely we see this matchup in a few months in the playoffs this postseason, and this time it will be for the tie breaker on the series. Hurts has a win and now Purdy does as well. Fully healthy with likely a Super Bowl appearance on the line, who’s it going to be? I don’t know about you, but I think most fans are ready for round three of 49ers and Eagles.