For the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, their dream of returning to the Super Bowl was somewhat surprisingly shattered in the first play-off round. The franchise around quarterback Jalen Hurts lost to the San Francisco 49ers 19:23. The New England Patriots, on the other hand, lived up to their position as title contenders and defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 16:3.
The Eagles blew a 16-10 lead in the final quarter against the injury-plagued 49ers, where tight end George Kittle tore his Achilles tendon. The match winner was running back Christian McCaffrey with two touchdowns. San Francisco will now face the top seed Seattle Seahawks in the quarterfinals.
“Our team just fights,” McCaffrey said. “We knew it was going to be a 12-round fight and we just had to hang in there no matter what.” Quarterback Brock Purdy impressed with 262 yards and two touchdown passes. Jauan Jennings provided the most spectacular moment with a 29-yard trick play to take the lead in the final quarter. For the Eagles, the season ended after a weak offensive performance. “At the end of the day, we didn’t create enough explosive plays,” admitted coach Nick Sirianni.
For the Patriots, MVP candidate Drake Maye only turned up the heat in the second half. He completed eleven of 14 passes for 173 yards and enabled the only touchdown of the encounter. The next opponent is the winner of the duel between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Houston Texans, which takes place on Tuesday night (2 a.m.). With the Chargers out, it is clear that the Buffalo Bills will face the Denver Broncos in the quarterfinals as the worst-seeded team.
