The San Francisco 49ers had a lot to say after losing 31-7 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.
Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and even Robbie Gould got in on the trash talk leading up to the Super Bowl. Samuel called Eagles cornerback James Bradberry “trash,” and he ended up being called for the game-changing penalty in the final minutes.
Some of the trash talk went to the extreme, saying that the Eagles would be exposed by the Chiefs, and perhaps they were a bit with the Birds unable to stop the Kansas City offense in the second half.
Still, the Eagles never trailed by more than one score and led by 10 points at halftime. They were in it the whole way.
Evan Giddings and Marc Grandi of the Audacy Original Podcast “The 415ers” debated if the 49ers’ trash talk was vindicated with the Eagles losing to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
“It was a fantastic game. It was an amazing game. It was a classic,” Giddings said (3:34 in player above). “And one that I think 49ers fans can also feel good about because, of course, one, the Eagles lost, but two, based on the surrounding talk coming into the week from specifically Niners players, it might be a feeling of vindication if you’re a San Francisco fan.”
“It was a relatively good result for the 49ers’ trash talk, I suppose. It certainly makes them feel a little bit better, maybe makes their trash talk sound a little better, a little more pertinent,” Grandi said. “But still I’m not so sure it’s the best look for all those players to be talking that kind of trash after they get blown out on the road in the NFC Championship Game…
“I think there was probably, maybe a shred of truth to what the Niners were saying. Probably still doesn’t need to be said publicly but maybe they did know what they were talking about a little bit. Plus it’s also Patrick Mahomes, who might go down as the greatest quarterback of all-time when it’s all said and done. So maybe there’s a little bit of truth on both sides.”
Mahomes threw three touchdown passes en route to winning his second Super Bowl MVP – and breaking the “curse” of the regular-season MVP losing in the Super Bowl. Although he finished with just 182 yards thanks to a few short fields, he did complete 21 of 27 passes and ran for 44 yards – including a 26-yard scramble – on six carries.
The 27-year-old quarterback has now won two Super Bowls, lost another, and has made it to each of the last five AFC Championship Games. Meanwhile, the accolades of the four quarterbacks the 49ers used this season don’t come close to that.
“That’s why actually I don’t think there’s truth on the 49ers’ side is because of what you just mentioned and that is the quarterback. No disrespect to Brock Purdy. No disrespect to Trey Lance. No disrespect to Jimmy Garoppolo,” Giddings said. “Whoever would’ve started the Super Bowl for the 49ers, it wouldn’t have been the same result. I’m sorry.
“I will not agree with the players on the 49ers because the exposure that Kansas City put on Philadelphia had to do with number 15, had to do with the coaching staff. It did not have to do with Brandon Aiyuk or receivers or – maybe a little bit of line play I guess you could say. I thought Kansas City dominated in places that the 49ers – even in their small sample size to show us – did not. And that was in the trenches. It was at the quarterback position. And it was on the sidelines.”
On top of that, it wasn’t like the Chiefs blew the Eagles out. It came down to the final possession with Kansas City kicking a field goal to seal the game.
“I think it points to this was a winnable game for Philadelphia,” Giddings continued.”This was a game that Philly could have won the Super Bowl, but because of those three things they could not. And those three things, in my opinion, San Francisco right now does not possess at the level that Kansas City does.”
The 49ers will travel to Philadelphia to play the Eagles at some point in the regular season and perhaps we’ll get to see a rematch in next year’s playoffs. The early odds for Super Bowl LVIII have the Eagles and 49ers right up there with the Chiefs, Bills, and Bengals in a clear top five.
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