Down And Out

They couldn’t overcome injuries at the quarterback position anymore. The San Francisco 49ers lost QB Brock Purdy, who ended up having a torn UCL in his right elbow, on the teams first offensive possession. Then their backup QB Josh Johnson suffered a concussion on their first possession of the second half. Purdy did return, but clearly could not throw the ball past a couple yards. The defense kept it close, but the Philadelphia Eagles were too much for them. Philly’s pass rush was unrelenting at times and the Eagles controlled the pace on offense with their unique running scheme, which sets up the big play through the air. The Eagles are just five years removed from their first Super Bowl title and they return with a completely new coaching staff with new players at the forefront. They’ve been the most consistent team this season and it is paying off with a trip to Arizona.

Not A Repeat Of Last Year

Cincinnati would be wise to use this as a lesson to put more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Yes, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was sacked 3 times, but he was hardly under duress at crucial points of the game. Mahomes clearly was not 100% as he was noticeable limping, yet he was extending plays and being able to move about the pocket with ease. Bengals QB Joe Burrow threw two costly interceptions and one of them came on a 3rd and 3 late in the game when Cincinnati had all the momentum. And of course the late hit out of bounds on Mahomes was a 15-yard gift to kick the go-ahead field goal. Kansas City has now gone to three Super Bowls in the last five seasons. They’ve only won one title in that span and if they should fail to win another one, they will be approaching dangerous territory of being an underwhelming dynasty. The Chiefs have a great roster and they should capitalize on it while they can.