A lot was on the line, on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
The San Francisco 49ers (9-3) and Philadelphia Eagles (10-2) battled in a rematch of last season’s championship game for NFC seeding and bragging rights as the league’s best team.
After the 49ers throttled the Eagles in their own building 42-19, the title of the “number one team in football” unquestionably belongs to San Francisco.
Brock Purdy threw for 317 yards and tied a career-high with four touchdown passes. Deebo Samuel racked up 116 receiving yards and scored three times. Christian McCaffrey broke the 100-scrimmage yard barrier and scored his league-best 17th total touchdown.
San Francisco did all of their damage offensively after their most anemic quarter of the season, totaling -6 yards on their first two drives. Over the final 45 minutes, the 49ers scored touchdowns on six-straight possessions, averaging 9.1 yards per play.
The 49ers defense stalled the Eagles twice in the red zone during the first quarter, snapping Philadelphia’s streak of 12-consecutive red zone trips resulting in touchdowns. The 49ers neutralized a top-five rushing attack, holding the Eagles ground game to just 48 yards after Philadelphia averaged 136 yards their past three games.
Once San Francisco drew even, they boat raced Philadelphia in a fashion no one has seen in 2023.
The Eagles entered Week 13 as the betting favorites to win the Super Bowl and still remain a game ahead of the 49ers for the top-seed in the NFC. While Philadelphia will stay atop the conference standings, San Francisco showed the country they are a team above the rest.
When analyzing the team’s resumes entering this week, much was made of the Eagles strength of schedule. Wins against contenders such as Miami, Buffalo, Dallas, and, most notably, Kansas City, made their case as top dog impossible to refute.
San Francisco undid it all in one day.
Though the 49ers went through a three-game skid, which the Eagles have not, San Francisco’s blowout wins against Dallas, Jacksonville, and now Philadelphia outweigh any case made against them. After Week 13, the Super Bowl favorite should be San Francisco.
“We’re going in the right direction,” said head coach Kyle Shanahan after the game. “After our skid, we’ve gotten better each week.”
That’s a scary thought considering the lopsided result at Lincoln Financial Field. The lone reason for pause surrounding San Francisco is health. When Trent Williams, Deebo Samuel, and, to an extent, Christian McCaffrey dealt with injuries, the 49ers couldn’t overcome the three opponents – Browns, Vikings, and Bengals – in their path.
At full strength, it feels difficult to see an opponent hanging with the 49ers.
San Francisco is familiar (good and bad) with the zany circumstances that can prevent a team from winning a Super Bowl. However, they appear to be peaking at the right time. The 49ers showed the Eagles and the football world they have what it takes to take home a Lombardi.
“Our intent is good and obviously, our talent is good,” said Shanahan postgame.
Damn straight.