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The Philadelphia Eagles are going to the Super Bowl.
The top-seeded Eagles manhandled the San Francisco 49ers, 31-7, in the NFC championship game Sunday and will meet either the Cincinnati Bengals or Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 57, Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.
The Eagles rushed for four touchdowns, two by Miles Sanders, on their way to a convincing victory over the injury-plagued 49ers.
San Francisco lost starting quarterback Brock Purdy to an elbow injury in the first quarter but had to bring back a far less-than-100% version of Purdy in the second half after backup Josh Johnson exited with a concussion.
Purdy was able to throw only two passes after he returned to the game, effectively crushing any hopes of a 49ers comeback.
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A Jake Elliott field goal may just be icing on the cake as the Philadelphia Eagles make plans for the Super Bowl.
Elliott’s 31-yarder capped another Eagles scoring drive, following a failed fourth-down conversion to extend the margin to 24 points.
The Philadelphia defense stopped Deebo Samuel on downs for a 4-yard loss to give the Eagles the ball deep in Niners territory. With Kenneth Gainwell getting most of the work, Philadelphia chewed up yardage and the clock to get in position for Elliott’s field goal.
It’s going to be a tall order for the San Francisco 49ers to mount a comeback in Philadelphia, as they trail by three touchdowns and don’t have their quarterback at full strength entering the final 15 minutes of regulation.
Jalen Hurts scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak to cap a 15-play, 91-yard drive to extend the Eagles lead just before the end of the quarter. It was the Eagles’ fourth rushing TD of the game.
The Niners have been forced to go back to an injured Brock Purdy under center after backup Josh Johnson exited midway through the third when his head slammed against the turf.
Johnson has been officially ruled out with a concussion.
Purdy’s elbow injury originally had him questionable to return, but Johnson going down forced the rookie back into the game.
Injuries continue to take their toll on San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks. After being sidelined by an elbow injury in the first quarter and giving way to backup Josh Johnson, Brock Purdy is back under center with Johnson out of the game.
Purdy was unable to throw the ball after he was hit by Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick, but Johnson hit his head on the turf midway through the third quarter and came out of the game, forcing Purdy to come back in.
A costly fumble by San Francisco backup quarterback Josh Johnson with 1:11 to play in the half gave Philadelphia a golden opportunity to pad its lead going into the locker room.
Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick, who’s has been everywhere today, recovered the bobbled snap by Johnson at the Niners 30-yard-line.
Three plays later, Boston Scott made them pay with a 10-yard run for Philadelphia’s third rushing touchdown of the half.
The Eagles made a statement just before halftime, countering a 49ers touchdown drive with one of their own.
Miles Sanders scored on a 13-yard run, his second touchdown of the game as Philadelphia reclaimed the lead.
Converting a fourth-and-1 at their own 34 along the way, the Eagles chewed nearly seven minutes off the clock in marching 75 yards in 14 plays.
The Niners defense did its part as well, committing three penalties on defense to keep the drive alive.
Christian McCaffrey’s 23-yard rumble has pulled the Niners even with 8:29 to play in the first half.
With backup quarterback Josh Johnson filling in for the injured Brock Purdy, San Francisco drove 46 yards in six plays to tie the game 7-7.
McCaffrey touched the ball on four of those plays, with a pair of 9-yard receptions a 3-yard run for a first down and the 23-yard TD.
He has accounted for 73 of the Niners’ 93 total yards on offense.
The homestanding Eagles have the upper hand after one quarter, dominating the field position battle early. Miles Sanders’ 6-yard touchdown run accounted for the only score, but everything seems to be going Philly’s way.
The Niners have been forced to turn to backup quarterback Josh Johnson due to an elbow injury suffered by starter Brock Purdy. As a result, San Francisco only managed to generate two first downs and 45 yards of offense.
