49ers 42, Philadelphia 19
Just kidding. Even the late Hunter S. Thompson would have had no problem understanding that Sunday's demolition of the Philadelphia Eagles followed a far different script. But the outcome was similar. The 49ers imposed their will on a powerful opponent on its home field, and there was nothing the Eagles could do about it.
Some observations:
Once again we showed our complete ignorance of how football games are won, as the 49ers not only didn't "get off first," they didn't "get off" at all in the first quarter, unless one means "get off the field." For 15 minutes Lincoln Financial Field looked like it might indeed be Brock Purdy's personal kryptonite. He was perfectly healthy this time, but you wouldn't have known it by the stat sheet: zero pass completions, zero first downs, minus-six yards.
Yet the score at the end of the quarter was only 6-0. Despite Jalen Hurts leading his offense up and down the field, the 49er defense was magnificent in the red zone, and Philly only got two field goals for all that domination. Aware that the rest of the game belonged to the 49er offense, let's stop here and give that defense its due for keeping the game close when it easily could have gotten away.
You will never see a more perfectly-executed play than the one that sent Deebo Samuel on his way to his third touchdown. The replay shows a veritable wall of white jerseys to the left, sweeping back the green suits like a series of bulldozers clearing the rainforest. Deebo angles to the right, and he's got an open field all the way to the end zone. The chalkboard X's and O's came to life right there.
Kyle Shanahan's lingering reputation for "freezing" in the critical moments of a game took a beating Sunday. He continually surprised a good Philadelphia defense with sudden unexpected formations and plays when it was still a contest in the third quarter. The play that broke it open-- Samuel's second TD-- had every defender out of position and grasping at jerseys. Utter futility. And check Deebo's incredible power/speed burst as he saw the open goal just ahead of him. A man that size accelerating that fast? Almost seems unfair, doesn't it?
In this game, Jalen Hurts proved he is the MVP, and not just because Christian McCaffrey and Purdy might split the vote. The only reason the Eagles were even in this game over the last 35 minutes is because of Hurts-- his athleticism, his arm, his downfield vision, his toughness. In a bizarre twist on last year's NFC championship, it was Hurts leaving the field with an injury instead of Purdy. But he came back, and he kept battling to the end. Philadelphia has a good-- we can't say great-- offensive line, but the 49er defense shredded it all day and Hurts had to bail out on almost every single pass play. He held the ball forever since most of the time no one was open downfield, but tenaciously avoided all but three sacks which could have been a dozen. With no running game, except for Hurts' own scrambles, the whole Eagles' offense was he and the fine receiver A.J. Brown.
We love Brock Purdy, but he is backed by a tremendous defense and game-changing players like Samuel, McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk. Jalen Hurts is the sole difference-maker for the Philadelphia Eagles. With him, they're a Super Bowl contender; without him, they're just another 6-6 team trying to make the playoffs. He's got our MVP vote.
The 49ers can clinch the division this Sunday with a win over the Seattle Seahawks, and they own the tie-breaker with Dallas and Philadelphia, who square off this weekend. After four straight wins, the postseason picture looks a little brighter in Santa Clara.
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