Eagles Embarrassed — 49ers Get “Revenge” as Eagles Fall to 10-2

When you keep playing with fire, you are bound to get burnt. The Eagles got burnt in a big way tonight. In the biggest game in the pursuit of the NFC’s number one seed the Eagles, no showed.

The 49ers treated this game like it was their Super Bowl, and they played like it. The 49ers wanted it more, and now the Eagles are in a tough spot if they want the playoffs to run through Philadelphia. Luckily they still control their own destiny, but it will not be easy. This game makes you rethink if the Eagles truly are the best team in the NFL.

Defense Got Ran Over

The Eagles defense got dominated tonight. The 49ers offense did whatever they wanted to them, with little to no restriction. After the first quarter, the 49ers had -6 yards of offense. They finished the game with 446 yards and 42 points. The biggest problem with the defense today was their inability to tackle. Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey were nearly impossible for the Eagles defenders to bring down. The 49ers live on yards after the catch, and they took advantage of that today. Hopefully, the Eagles can get Shaq Leonard to help out going forward. If not, the middle of the defense may be in trouble.

The 49ers did a great job of getting the ball out quickly to suppress the Eagles’ pass rush. Brock Purdy did a great job of not getting rattled by the early pressure of the Eagles’ defensive line and was able to run the system to perfection. The 49ers scored 6 straight touchdowns on 6 straight possessions, and they backed up all the trash they have been talking since last January.

First Half Struggles Again

The Eagles’ offense was bad tonight for all four quarters, but yet again they struggled in the first half. When the Eagles started off the game with two red zone field goals you knew that was going to come back to bite them. The Eagles need to figure out their first-half struggles because they can not count on coming back from massive deficits every game. The Eagles need to play a full four quarters of football, and that starts with the quarterback.

Jalen Hurts did not play a great game, and I think he played a big part in losing momentum early. When the Eagles had a chance to score a touchdown on their second drive of the game Hurts held the ball for way too long, slipped, and took a sack. That then led to an Eagles second straight field goal, and kind of gave the 49ers momentum. He then did the exact same thing a few possessions later. He felt pressure that was not there a ton early in the game, which led to throwaways. He has done this a lot this year. Hurts did not have a good game against the 49ers in the NFC Championship, and he did not have a good game against them tonight. Hurts needs to start playing complete games, and not just a few quarters here and there.

The Eagles coaching staff deserves blame for the offensive struggles as well. D’Andre Swift ran the ball only 6 times for just 13 yards. The fact that Swift only ran the ball 6 times is unacceptable. The Eagles have an identity of running the football, and to completely go away from it today was a massive defeating decision. The Eagles coaching staff has to get the first-half struggles figured out.

Pursuit of the One Seed

The good news after tonight’s game is that the Eagles are still leading for the NFC’s number-one seed. The bad news is that the Eagles most likely will now have to win out to finish with that seed. Next week’s game against Dallas now has become a must-win game for the Eagles. If the Eagles were to lose to Dallas next week, the Eagles would be tied with Dallas for the division lead, and San Francisco would take over the one seed. The 49ers still have the Ravens on their schedule, but with their performance tonight, it is hard to see them losing again this season. The Eagles need to take care of business next Sunday night in Dallas if they want the NFC to run through Philadelphia.