It took five seasons but the Philadelphia Eagles are back in the Super Bowl following their 31-7 blowout win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
It wasn’t pretty. The Eagles recorded only 260 yards on offense but used a dominant performance on the defensive end and key wins on offense to pull off a beatdown of one of the more physical teams in football.
There’s plenty to celebrate about but not everyone played well on Sunday. Let’s look at who stood out and who played poorly before we head to Arizona.
Stock Up: Haason Reddick
The Eagles’ top free-agent acquisition has been one of the best pass rushers in football and Sunday was no different. Reddick tallied 2 sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in the win.
Reddick’s first sack also knocked Brock Purdy out of the game for over two quarters and effectively ended San Fran’s high-powered offense. For another week, Reddick was the best player on the field. And it couldn’t have come at a better time this week.
Stock Down: Jalen Hurts
San Francisco’s defense is the best in football. It should come as no surprise that the Eagles’ offense struggled to move the ball then. That being said, Philadelphia’s passing attack was very lackluster throughout the game with receivers failing to win one-on-one matchups.
It shouldn’t be too concerning because Hurts has been money all season, but this was probably his worst game as a quarterback.
Stock Up: Jonathan Gannon
What a playoff run for the most controversial coach in Eagles history. Gannon has taken slack for his lack of aggressiveness on his play-calling, but for the second straight week, the Eagle’s defense put this team in a position to win.
Philadelphia’s defense held San Fran to just 164 yards of offense and one touchdown. Add in three turnovers and three sacks and this was another dominating performance by the birds.
Stock Down: Brett Kern
What a disaster from a punter. Brett Kern struggled to punt the football from distance and was almost blocked twice. He did average 45 yards per punt, but the Eagle’s replacement for Arryn Siposs has not been very good. The Eagles need to be better here.
Stock Up: Offensive Line
The Eagles’ offensive line ran a war with San Fran’s top defensive line and still came out on top. Philly ran for 148 yards for three yards a carry and four touchdowns. It was the most rushing yards that the 49ers had given up in a game all season and it also set the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a team in a single season.
Landon Dickerson and Lane Johnson have injury concerns coming into the Super Bowl, but this group was once again dominant.
Stock Up: TJ Edwards and Kyzir White
What a difference a year makes. Edwards and White were major reasons why the Eagles won on Sunday. White led the team in tackles with six and held George Kittle to just three catches.
Edwards on the other hand only had three tackles but each one seemed to be huge. His tackle on Deebo Samuel on a screen before the half kept the 49ers out of field goal range.
If the Eagles are to win Super Bowl LVII, they’ll need continued domination from their linebacking core.
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
