Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images The 49ers easily beat their supposed toughest opponent of the season in a 42-19 victory. In arguably their biggest game of the season, the San Francisco 49ers blew out the Philadelphia Eagles 42-19, scoring their highest output of the season en-route to a major victory over the No. 1 seed in the NFC. With the win, the 49ers bridged the gap between them and the Eagles to just one game, while now possessing the tiebreaker after gaining the victory. Offensively, the 49ers bounced back from a slow start to score six consecutive touchdowns and 456 yards, which was their second-highest total of the season behind their Week 8 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, where they dropped 460 yards. Defensively, San Francisco gave up 333 yards, but was able to limit Philadelphia to field goals twice, while stopping them on downs another team, which was just enough as the offense flourished. Here are three quick takeaways from the 49ers 42-19 win over the Eagles on Sunday. Moving the chains In the preview, I hinted how this game was going to be more of an offensive showdown, which is why moving the chains would be a significant factor in the outcome of the game. Well, the Philadelphia Eagles were pretty good in that category, converting 8/15 of their third downs, while hitting on 1/2 of their fourth downs as well. However, the 49ers were just better, converting 8/11 of their third downs, as well as their lone fourth down attempt in the win. The difference turned out to be crucial, as the Eagles were forced to settle for field goals twice early on, while turning it over on downs when the game was already out of hand. The issue? Philadelphia had third downs of 7, 21, 11, 19, 8, 7, 12, 8, 10, and 9 yards. While they converted a few, they struggled on other long-distance situations, which didn’t allow them to go on fourth down and be as aggressive as they usually are. Meanwhile, the 49ers either didn’t allow it to get to third down or consistently found themselves in short-distance situations, which led to sustained offensive success and 42 overall points. Red zone Another factor that was going to be integral in this matchup was the performance in the red zone. Coming into the game, Philadelphia ranked eighth with a 62.8 percent touchdown rate, while San Francisco was ninth with a 61.4 percent touchdown rate in the red zone. However, over the past three weeks entering the game, the Eagles were 100 percent in those opportunities, while the 49ers converted just 50 percent of the time. Those numbers flipped on Sunday, as the 49ers scored touchdowns on all four of their redzone chances, while the Eagles only got touchdowns on two of their four opportunities. While the Eagles did get field goals in the other two chances, had they scored touchdowns on both of their opening possessions, this one may have been a more competitive ballgame. The Eagles came in with one of the league’s worst red zone defenses and the 49ers took advantage, scoring in a multitude of ways to notch a comfortable victory. 49ers offense vs. Eagles defense As I mentioned above, this game was primed to be a battle of the offenses, especially given that Philadelphia had given up 415 yards a contest over their last three games. Well, the 49ers were up for the challenge, as they notched 460 yards, with quarterback Brock Purdy throwing for 314 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions on 27 attempts, while running back Christian McCaffrey had 93 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. San Francisco was ultra-efficient in the air, as Purdy threw for 11.6 yards per attempt, with wide receiver Deebo Samuel inflating the number due to several big runs after the catch. It was the same on the ground as the 49ers rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns on 5.2 yards per carry, outpacing the Eagles in the air and on the ground. More importantly, the 49ers didn’t let the Eagles defensive line take over the game, as Brock Purdy was sacked just twice and didn’t turn the ball over once, resulting in a fairly clean game for San Francisco. With a strong balanced attack, the 49ers were able to steamroll the Eagles, scoring six touchdowns and making the most of their opportunities for a blowout win. Source: https://www.ninersnation.com/2023/12/3/ ... rock-purdy
