How much the San Francisco 49ers wanted this game, how much the scars of that afternoon last January were burned into their minds, the moment their starting quarterback went down 22 snaps into the game, they knew they were going to the Super Bowl. It was clear that the chance for power was effectively lost.
49ers star receiver Deebo Samuel didn’t shy away from it during the offseason, admitting what a few teammates were sure to think: Last year in Philadelphia without a healthy quarterback. In the NFC Championship game against the Eagles, the 49ers were effectively man-down. .
In other words, they never got a fair assessment. That made the 31-7 loss difficult to swallow.
Eleven months later, the 49ers returned to Lincoln Financial Field and defeated the defending conference champions 42-19, further muddying the NFC playoff picture while also showing how terrifying Kyle Shanahan’s team is at its best. It reminded the rest of the league what a team it is.
“Like every game, we know how good that team is,” Shanahan said of the Eagles after the win. “We understand their record, and that always makes the record a little bit bigger.”
So the statement was: January will be a tough month for the 49ers. Or February.
The win moves the 49ers to 9-3 and within one game of the conference-leading Eagles (10-2) with five games remaining. The Cowboys and Lions also had lone byes at 9-3 in a four-team battle for the top seed in the conference.
even deeper
NFL Playoff Photos: Can the 49ers beat the Eagles to claim the No. 1 seed in the NFC?
In New Orleans, the Lions took a 21-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and nearly cut the lead in the second half. In the end, Detroit defeated the Saints 33-28 to maintain control of the NFC North and stay on track for the franchise’s first home playoff game since 1994.
But don’t rule out the Packers just yet. Matt LeFleur’s team is one of the hottest teams in football at 6-6 and currently sits in seventh place in the NFC playoff spot.
The 6-6 Falcons continue to lead the perennial powerhouse NFC South after an unconvincing 13-8 victory over the Jets. But somehow the Bucks and Saints (both 5-7) are stuck in this situation.
As for the AFC, Patrick Mahomes played his first game at Lambeau Field on Sunday night, losing 27-19 and knocking the Chiefs out of the top seed.
The Texans and Colts both kept their wild-card playoff hopes alive with last-second wins.
In Washington, Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill remained on track to make history as Miami embarrassed the Commanders, who were upset 45-15.
In Pittsburgh, a fed-up Mike Tomlin summed up his team’s afternoon: “It was a bad day at the office.” The Steelers coach didn’t see anything he liked about the humiliating 24-10 loss to the lowly Cardinals. To make matters worse, Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback, Kenny Pickett, left at halftime with an ankle injury and could be out for several weeks, further hampering the Steelers’ chances of making the playoffs.
Joe Flacco’s Browns debut started with a 24-yard touchdown throw and ended in a 36-19 loss to the Rams. Cleveland is not only losing a quarterback, but also losing a game, and the Browns’ playoff odds are getting longer.
Here are some highlights from Sunday of the 13th week:
The NFC playoff race is getting interesting.
Thirteen weeks into the season, San Francisco has picked up two of the most impressive wins of the year. They defeated the Cowboys 42-10 at home in Week 5 and dominated the Eagles 42-19 on the road Sunday night.
The game was tough from the start, with players from both teams and even Eagles coach Nick Sirianni exchanging words before kickoff and multiple times during the game. The most heated moment came midway through the third quarter. 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw violently flings Eagles wideout DeVonta Smith across the sideline, drawing a flag and a heated reaction from the Philadelphia sideline, including from Eagles head of security Dom DiSandro. It’s when you cause it. Both were ejected after Greenlaw and DiSandro yelled at each other and Greenlaw aggressively pointed a finger in DiSandro’s face.
Shanahan later said, “I can’t believe that someone who has nothing to do with the game of football would abuse our players like that and put his hands in our players’ faces like that.”
DiSandro left the field to applause from Philadelphia fans.
This was one of the few highlights for the home crowd. This was a methodical beatdown in which Shanahan and the 49ers showed considerable strength. He was designated as the play-caller, and his offense scored touchdowns on six consecutive drives, three of which came from Samuel, who repeatedly waved goodbye to Eagles fans. The defense allowed just 19 points, the Eagles’ lowest performance since Week 6.
“If you don’t go out there and play your best game with the players and coaches that they have, you’re going to end up like that,” Sirianni said.
San Francisco loses three straight in the middle of the season? Died. Buried. history. This team is every bit the Super Bowl favorite and has a good chance of clinching the coveted top seed in the NFC and the first-round bye that comes with it by the end of the season. .
Photos from the 13-week NFC playoffs
| team | whole | meeting records | |
|---|---|---|---|
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1 |
10-2 |
6-1 |
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2 |
9-3 |
7-1 |
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3 |
9-3 |
6-2 |
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Four |
6-6 |
4-4 |
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Five |
9-3 |
6-3 |
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6 |
6-6 |
6-3 |
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7 |
6-6 |
4-3 |
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8 |
6-6 |
4-4 |
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9 |
6-6 |
5-4 |
Brock Purdy, who was eliminated from the NFC Championship Game in January, was once again impressive, throwing three touchdown passes and posting a passer rating of 148.8. This is the fourth time this season. Tom Brady (2007) and Aaron Rodgers (2011) are the only players in NFL history to accomplish that in a single season.
Love, the Packers are going well.
Jordan Love is in tears. So are the Packers.
Green Bay’s quarterback’s last five games: 11 touchdowns, just two interceptions, and most importantly, four wins.
This not only keeps the Packers alive in the NFC playoffs, but they are currently in the final Wild Card spot, a surprising turn of events from a little over a month ago. Remember: Green Bay started the season 2-5, which was the franchise’s worst start since 2005.
They now have a 6-6 record after a 27-19 win against the Chiefs on Sunday night. And looking ahead, the Packers will continue to be the team with the current winning record.
Trailing by eight points with 79 seconds left, Mahomes led a wild final drive that saw Isaiah Pacheco thrown for a punch on the play that was ultimately overturned and a blatant pass interference penalty missed. The Hail Mary also failed and led to a lot of contact. . But in the end, the Packers escaped. Matt LeFleur continued with a perfect 16-0 record as Green Bay’s head coach in December.
It was Mahomes’ fourth career loss in December, a loss that knocks the Chiefs (8-4) out of the top seed in the AFC playoffs. They currently trail the Dolphins, Ravens and Jaguars, who each have three losses. Jacksonville will face Cincinnati on Monday night.
13 weeks of AFC playoffs
| team | whole | meeting records | |
|---|---|---|---|
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1 |
9-3 |
6-2 |
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2 |
9-3 |
6-3 |
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3 |
8-3 |
6-2 |
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Four |
8-4 |
6-1 |
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Five |
7-5 |
5-3 |
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6 |
7-5 |
5-3 |
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7 |
7-5 |
5-3 |
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8 |
7-5 |
4-3 |
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9 |
6-6 |
3-5 |
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Ten |
6-6 |
3-5 |
Texans and Colts poised for big finish
It’s been 11 years since a team with a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback made the postseason, and Indianapolis had a storybook season in 2012. Top pick Andrew Luck and interim coach Bruce Arians led the Colts to 11 wins, with Chuck Pagano at the helm. He battled leukemia at a local hospital.
If the Texans continue to play like this, their winning streak this season could be in jeopardy. With Sunday’s 22-17 victory over the Broncos, DeMeko Ryans’ group has won five of its last seven games and is firmly in the AFC playoffs for the first time in five years.
It starts with sensational rookie quarterback CJ Stroud. He currently leads the league in passing yards (3,540). That ranks third in league history for a rookie through 12 games, behind Patrick Mahomes (3,912) and Luck (3,596).
But it grows even further. Everyone on the Ryans team is playing well. Late in the fourth quarter Sunday, it was Houston’s defense that came up with the decisive play. Then safety Jimmy Ward picked off Russell Wilson in the end zone with nine seconds left to seal the victory. Wilson made his third interception of the day. Another Texans rookie, Will Anderson, had his best game as a pro, getting hit four times by Wilson, sacked twice, and tipping a pass in the fourth quarter that ended up being taken by Houston cornerback Derek. It ended up in the hands of Stingley Jr. In the game.
Houston’s only blemish was that standout rookie receiver Tank Dell went down with a fractured fibula in the first half and did not return.According to league officials, he has been placed on injured reserve and his activities for the year are over. The Athletic.
Another AFC playoff contender continued to heat up in Nashville as the Colts extended their winning streak to four with a 31-28 overtime win over the Titans. This is Indianapolis’ longest winning streak since 2018 and the last time the Colts dominated the Titans.
At this point, the Colts (7-5) clinched the final AFC Wild Card spot with a 7-5 win over the Texans in Week 2, but the teams will meet again in Week 18. do.
Tyreek Hill continues to make history
Take a moment to understand what Tyreek Hill and the Dolphins (9-3) are doing offensively this season.
» Hill is on track for the first 2,000-yard receiving season in NFL history. His 1,481 total is the most by a player in the 12th game of a season in the Super Bowl era. At this point, the number exceeded 1,400, including Charlie Hennigan (1961), Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch (1951), Lance Alworth (1965), and Calvin Johnson (2012). There were only 4 people. Hill is currently scheduled to finish with 2,098 yards.
» Hill has had at least 150 receiving yards in 16 career games, tied for second most in his first eight seasons with Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. Only Alworth (17) had more. He is also the fifth player in league history to score five or more points in a single season, following Rice (1995), Tim Brown (1997), Antonio Brown (2017), and Roy Green (1984). There is also.
» Miami is one of three teams in the Super Bowl era to record 25 passing touchdowns and 22 rushing scores in a 12-game season, joining the 1998 Denver Broncos and 1975 Buffalo Bills. It is.
The Commanders, Jets, and Patriots continue to slide, but for how long?
The wheels are off in Washington.
More than a month after trading two defensive starters in Montez Sweat and Chase Young, and a week after firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, the Commanders defeated the Dolphins 45-15 at home. They suffered two embarrassing losses in a row.
Nothing is working. Considering the loss to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, the managers have lost consecutive games 90-25.
“If you find 21 points against a very good soccer team, you’re going to struggle,” Rivera said of the 24-point hole his coaches found themselves in before halftime.
Rivera’s seat seems to be getting warmer by the minute. His team, once 2-0, is now 4-9 after losing four straight. It’s not hard to imagine that the new ownership group, led by Josh Harris, would want a fresh start in 2024 after missing the playoffs for three straight seasons.
After the Jets’ 13-8 loss to the Falcons on Sunday, the discussion of Aaron Rodgers returning this year could be an issue. New York (4-8) has lost five straight and benched its other quarterback, Tim Boyle, in a game in which he failed to score a touchdown. To date, the Jets have scored just 10 touchdowns all season, fewer than any team through 12 games in at least the past 30 years.
Meanwhile, their AFC East opponent, the Patriots, suffered another miserable loss in ugly conditions in Foxborough, falling 6-0 to the Chargers. It was the lowest-scoring game in the NFL since the Jaguars beat the Colts by the same score in 2018.
At least they made history in the process. The Patriots became the first team since the Chicago Cardinals in 1938 to lose three consecutive games, despite giving up 10 or fewer points in each loss.
(Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)
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