The Eagles punched their ticket to Super Bowl LVII with a dominating 31-7 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon at the Linc.
In their two playoff games, the Eagles have already outscored their opponents 69-14.
This NFC Championship Game was supposed to be a matchup between the two most talented squads in the conference, but with the Eagles taking the lead and the 49ers nearly without a quarterback, the game was over.
Let’s get to the position ratings:
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts: 15/25, 121 yards; 11 carries, 39 yards, 1 TD
It wasn’t Hurts’ best game, but he still did enough to help the Eagles earn a win. He missed a few passes that he usually makes, most notably a deep ball to AJ Brown in the first quarter. But it didn’t matter. Hurts made some big plays in crucial moments and rushed for a touchdown in the third quarter to go 15 plays, 91 yards, 7:50.
Degree: B
Running back
Kenny Gainwell: 14 carries, 48 yards; 2 catches, 26 yards
The Eagles’ rushing attack didn’t produce huge results, but what they were able to do when the 49ers knew they were going to run the ball in the second half was impressive. In addition to Gainwell’s big game, Myles Sanders ran for two points and Boston Scott ran for one.
Degree: A
Receiver
DeVonta Smith: 2 catches for 36 yards
Overall, the production from the Eagles’ receivers has not been overwhelming. In addition to Smith’s 36 yards, AJ Brown caught 4 passes on 8 targets for 28 yards. But Smith’s 29-yard catch (or non-catch) in the first quarter on 4th-and-3 was the play of the game. The Eagles scored a few plays later.
Degree: B
A tight end
Dallas Goedert: 5 catches on 6 targets for 23 yards
Again, the numbers aren’t great, but Goedert got the job done, made some tough catches and blocked his ass. So did Jack Stoll when he was there. The tight ends helped the Eagles pick up some tough yards, especially in the second half.
Grade: B+
Offensive line
The Eagles rushed for 148 yards and 4 touchdowns against the #1 defense in the NFL. You know why? Because as good as this defense is, the Eagles’ offensive line is better. And that’s pretty much the case for every team they play.
Degree: A
Line of defense
Haason Reddick: 3 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 QB hit, 1 TFL, 1 FF, 1 FR
Redick was arguably the best player on the court Sunday from either team. He was an absolute threat and blocking him with a tight end is not a good idea. But it was more than Redick. The Eagles’ vaunted defensive line made Sunday a nightmare for Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson. They come in waves and Sunday was no different.
Grade: A+
Linebacker
Kyzir White: 6 tackles
It looked like the 49ers tried to target White in the passing game early and had some success. But the defense ended up playing well in the win. It’s hard to argue with the results.
Grade: A-
Second
CJ Gardner-Johnson: 5 tackles
A couple guys in the secondary missed tackles on that Christian McCaffrey 23-yard run, and it wasn’t ideal. But the 49ers couldn’t do anything after that. They finished with just 83 net passing yards in that game.
Degree: A
Special teams
Jake Elliott: 1/1 on FGs, 4/4 on PATs
Brett Kern had one punt that hit the skycam cable and another that looked like a good one spun into the end zone for a touchback. But Jake Elliott was perfect with one field goal and four PATs. And Britain Covey had three fair catches in tight areas where the Eagles couldn’t afford to clog.
Grade: A-
Coaching
Nick Siriani, Jonathan Gannon and Shane Steichen replaced the 49ers’ coaches on Sunday. Game controls matter and we saw that in this one. The Eagles challenged the correct call on Purdy’s fumble, and Kyle Shanahan kept the red flag in his pocket when he had to challenge Smith’s catch. The Eagles were clearly the more disciplined team in this game as well. Credit to the coaching staff; they had prepared them for this one.
Grade: A+
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