Philadelphia Eagles vs. San Francisco Niners Notebook: Message, Christian Crime, Shaq Leonard Leverage
PHILADELPHIA - Dre Greenlaw didn't quite connect with Big Dom.
However, on Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers delivered a knockout blow to the Philadelphia Eagles after surviving an early onslaught at Lincoln Financial Field in what turned into a 42-19 rout.
The victory left the Philadelphia fanbase disheartened as the Niners sent a message that they have been chirping about since January after the Eagles walloped San Francisco 31-7, a result tied to Haason Reddick knocking quarterbacks Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson from the game.
As expected things got pretty chippy this time around and reached a boiling point with just over nine minutes remaining in the third quarter when Greenlaw bodyslammed Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith in front of the Philadelphia bench.
In the midst of pushing and shoving, Dom DiSandro, the Eagles' head of security and assistant to GM Howie Roseman, tried to shove Greenlaw away. The linebacker took exception and took a swing at "Big Dom" and was ejected. After a few minutes, DiSandro was also forced to leave to a large ovation.
“I just can’t believe someone uninvolved in a football game can taunt our players like that and put their hands in our guy’s face," 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. "From what I was told, Dre did it back to him and I was told that he mashed him in the face a little bit, so he got ejected. It was a very frustrating play. I have to watch it to have a true opinion on it.
"I love how we rallied after.”
Any spark for the Eagles by the melee was extinguished by a dominant 49ers offense that scored six consecutive touchdowns after starting the game with minus-six total yards in the first quarter.
OVERPLAYING THE HAND
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni seemed to stray from his hyper-focused week-to-week messaging by telling his team to take the 49ers' gripes personally.
Afterward, Sirianni did not regret his decision.
"I'm fine with that," Sirianni said when asked by SI.com's Eagles Today about his decision to play up what's becoming a heated rivalry. "Really, what it was is kind of what I say to you guys all the time as far as, hey, there were some things said after last game. If you want to use that as motivation, use it. If it distracts you, then don't.
"But make no mistake about it, the biggest motivation you always have is to play for each other."
The tactic certainly didn't make the defense play like a Big 12 team but it probably didn't help much either.
Jalen Hurts kept fighting to the end against the 49ers.
John McMullen/Eagles Today
PURDY-RIFIC
Purdy started the game 0-for-4 for zero yards in the first quarter and looked lost. He finished it 19 of 23 for 314 yards and four touchdowns.
Purdy has become an old-school point guard who dishes the football to his awe-inspiring playmakers rather effortlessly with Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk giving the Eagles' back seven fits.
FLEXING POWER INDEXES
Disrespect is a big thing in Philadelphia with a fandom that self-identifies as an underdog. Many power indexes and polls had rated the 49ers higher than the Eagles despite the disparity in records coming in (8-3 vs. 10-1).
Those measuring sticks have no more importance tomorrow than they did yesterday but they can certainly flex in that it's clear that right now the 49ers are the best team in football and 9-0 when Trent Williams and Samuel have been healthy enough to add what McCaffrey, Kittle and Aiyuk bring to the table.
“I think we still got a long way to go," Niners defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, a former Eagle, said. "It’s five games left in the season. You just gotta keep striving and working towards up.”
FIELD GOALS VS. TOUCHDOWNS
NFL games have personalities and this one developed into the dichotomy of the first and second quarters. In the first 15 minutes, the Eagles dominated to the tune of 124 total yards to minus-6 for San Francisco. Philadelphia had two scoring opportunities and came out of it with six points.
The second stanza saw the Niners pile up 173 yards to the Eagles' 21. San Francisco also had two chances for points and put up 14, scoring touchdowns on both occasions.
CHRISTIAN ON CHRISTIAN CRIME
The joke after the first quarter was that the Eagles had the better Christian after backup linebacker Christian Ellis, playing for the injured Zach Cunningham (hamstring), flashed with a tackle for loss.
The Niners All-Pro running back didn't even get an offensive touch but order was restored over the rest of the game as McCaffrey gouged the Eagles with 93 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in the running game and added three receptions for 40 yards in the passing game, including a double move on defensive back Kevin Byard in which he tracked an over the shoulder throw from Purdy.
McCaffrey is as special as advertised.
FIGHTING FOR WHAT?
After being checked for a concussion early in the fourth quarter, MVP candidate Jalen Hurts returned when cleared in a game that was seemingly out of reach.
It seemed like a specious decision but Hurts is a competitor and Sirianni didn't want to waive the white flag.
“Me, honestly, I didn’t want him to come back in," star receiver A.J. Brown said. "He took a big shot, and the game’s pretty much over, and I didn’t want to risk him getting banged up a little more or whatever the case may be.
“That just shows you: He didn’t want to leave his teammates out.”
Hurts saw it differently: "It wasn’t about showing anybody anything. It was more so that the game was not over. We were just trying to keep fighting.”
LEVERAGE?
Veteran linebacker Shaq Leonard is supposed to make his decision on his next team over the next 24 to 48 hours with the Eagles (now 10-2) and the Dallas Cowboys (9-3) being the two finalists.
Leonard may have already made his decision but one thing is certain: the Eagles need him more than the Cowboys and perhaps Leonard makes that known in the final hours.
The loser in the rare late-season free-agent battle will get to meet Leonard next week in North Texas when the Cowboys host the Eagles in North Texas where Dallas has won 14 straight.
