The Philadelphia Eagles are aiming to make it back to the Super Bowl after an agonizing loss in the big game to the Kansas City Chiefs two years ago.
Their previous NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers finished in anti-climactic fashion for the visitors.
Philadelphia Eagles’ Last NFC Championship Game Revisited
The Philadelphia Eagles started their 2022 campaign off in dominant fashion, going 8-0 before their first loss. That loss, incidentally, came at the hands of their 2024 NFC Championship opponents and NFC East division rivals, Washington.
Philadelphia qualified for the 2022 postseason after going 13-1 in the regular season, before dropping two games as Jalen Hurts rested. After a Wild Card Round bye, they slaughtered their division rivals, the New York Giants, in the Divisional Round.
This pitted them against the surging 49ers, who were on a 12-game winning streak going into Championship Sunday. San Francisco had started its 2022 season with a 3-4 record as Trey Lance and Jimmy Garropolo suffered long-term injuries in the early weeks.
However, “Mr. Irrelevant” Brock Purdy infused new life into their roster after their injuries. Purdy proved to be a valuable playoff quarterback in their first two postseason games as well.
Eagles vs. 49ers promised to be a clash of titans heading into the game. However, a spell of pressure from the Eagles’ defensive line caused Purdy to suffer an elbow injury midway through the early periods.
Purdy could not muster the arm strength to throw the ball with any strength from that point. After a drive of trying to get his elbow working, the 262nd pick of the 2022 NFL Draft had to come off the field.
Playing with no quarterback, the 49ers had no chance of pulling off the unlikely win. Even Christian McCaffrey tried to work as the team’s quarterback, leading to some wildcat formation calls. But with no real passing threat to defend, the Eagles’ defense was able to hand themselves a 31-7 win on the night. This game ultimately led to the addition of the emergency third QB rule change in the NFL.
The Eagles and the 49ers were two of the three most talented rosters in the NFL that season, alongside the Kansas City Chiefs. The way this game played out proved to be one of the disappointments of the season for all NFL fans.
The Eagles will be favored heavily at home in 2024 against their divisional rivals, Washington. Philadelphia took a close win in Week 11, 26-18, while losing their other matchup, 33-36. Notably, however, Hurts exited the latter game with an injury, so it’s hard to read too much into that matchup.
The Commanders are making the organization’s first NFC Championship appearance since the 1991 season when they went on to win the franchise’s third and most recent Super Bowl against the Buffalo Bills.