There will be a new Super Bowl champion in February as the Philadelphia Eagles lost 23-19 at home to the San Francisco 49ers in an extraordinary NFL playoff game.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had a fourth and 11 with 43 seconds left to save the season and a timeout to nail down the best play possible.
He targeted tight end Dallas Goedert but the pass was incomplete and victory fell to the 49ers, who will now face the Seattle Seahawks next weekend.
The 49ers also overcame the loss of star tight end George Kittle, who tore his Achilles and was carted off the field in the first half. That injury not only rules him out of the postseason, it also places a major question mark over his availability for the 2026 season.
But for now, at least, the 49ers don’t need to think too much about 2026. Running back Christian McCaffrey was outstanding in Philadelphia, scoring two touchdowns that included a catch from a reverse 29-yard pass by Juan Jennings at the start of the fourth quarter.
It was a breathtaking moment in the game, showing exactly why head coach Kyle Shanahan is regarded as one of the great offensive minds in football.
Brock Purdy celebrates after his San Francisco 49ers beat the Philadelphia Eagles
49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was outstanding, scoring two touchdowns
The Eagles offense, led by Jalen Hurts, failed to get going at they are now heading home
They lost just last week to the Seahawks, many people’s favorite to go all the way and win the Super Bowl.
But now the 49ers have a chance for revenge off the back of a huge confidence-boosting win and the added motivation of playing the Super Bowl in their own stadium on February 8.
‘We just focused on one play at a time,’ McCaffrey said on the field after victory was complete. ‘We knew it was going to be a 12-round fight. That’s what we kept saying.
‘We just had to stick to it. No matter what happened during the game, good or bad, we just keep trusting each other and ended up winning.
‘Our team fights. I love this group so much. I don’t have enough good things to say about it. I’m proud to be a part of this team.’
Philadelphia, meanwhile, was again doomed by a lethargic offensive effort that cost the team a shot at a repeat championship.
Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts threw for only 168 yards and a touchdown and the Eagles failed to build off a 13-10 halftime lead by totaling only 36 total yards in the third quarter on 16 plays.
Rival quarterback Brock Purdy, meanwhile, threw for 262 yards. He had two passes intercepted by All-Pro cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, but the Eagles scored just three points off the turnovers.
In an extraordinary moment just before halftime, Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown appeared to square up to his head coach Nick Sirianni.
Sirianni appeared to be yelling at Brown to get off the field in time for the next snap and it led to a hot-headed moment between the two. Brown was still chirping at him as he took his seat on the bench and removed his helmet.
Saquon Barkley ran for 106 yards but was slow to get up on a run in the fourth quarter. He used the stationary bike on the sideline to stay loose.
