Eagles Soar to Title

Behind a stifling defensive performance, the Philadelphia Eagles punched their ticket to Super Bowl LVII after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 31-7 in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

Quarterback and penalty woes marred San Francisco throughout the game. The Niners were forced to largely rely on the ground game, with running back Christian McCaffrey accounting for their touchdown. All four of the Eagles’ touchdowns were rushing TDs — including two by running back Miles Sanders.

The Eagles didn’t just advance to Super Bowl LVII — they bulldozed their way in. First, a 38-7 trouncing of the New York Giants in the divisional round of the playoffs. Then, a clobbering of the best the NFC had to offer, the San Francisco 49ers, in the NFC Championship Game.

It is the Eagles’ fourth trip to the Super Bowl in their history — their most recent coming in the 2017 season when they won their first Lombardi Trophy. That year, they weren’t favored in any of their playoff games and played the underdog card so hard that players donned dog masks in the wake of each victory. This team, in contrast, has been the class of the conference from start to finish, fully comfortable in the alpha role.

The Eagles leaned into their strengths against the 49ers. The team that had 32 rushing touchdowns in the regular season — third most in NFL history — scored on the ground four times against San Francisco. And a defensive unit that paced the league with 70 sacks had three and seven QB hits despite limited dropbacks because of the injuries to 49ers quarterbacks Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson.

They roll into Glendale, Arizona, knowing they’re at least as good as any team in the league.