Cowboys Watch as Rival Eagles Rout 49ers, Earn Super Bowl Berth

Philadelphia took advantage of the injury to San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy to win the NFC Championship. ... as the Cowboys sat and watched.

The Philadelphia Eagles are headed to the Super Bowl after easily dispatching the San Francisco 79ers 31-7 Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field - with the Dallas Cowboys having to watch from the proverbial couch.

The Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Cincinnati Bengals winner on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Ariz. 

Philadelphia last reached the Super Bowl in 2018, beating the New England Patriots 41-23. ... and of course the Cowboys last reached those heights with the 1995 team.

Painful fact for Cowboys Nation.

The NFC’s No. 1 seed had little trouble in the NFC Championship, especially after San Francisco lost starting quarterback Brock Purdy to an elbow injury in the first quarter. The 49ers just couldn’t overcome another injury at the sport’s most important position.

The previous season-ending injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo opened the door for Purdy, the last pick in last summer’s draft. The rookie guided the Niners to eight consecutive wins under his watch, as the team won 11 in row to reach conference title game.

Journeyman backup Josh Johnson replaced Purdy, who remained on the sidelines. When Johnson left the game for a concussion check in the third, Purdy returned to hand off the ball.

At that point, the outcome was essentially decided.

Jalen Hurts led a conservative Eagles attack that wore down the offensively-challenged 49ers. Philadelphia reeled off 24 straight points after San Francisco tied the game 7-7 midway through the second quarter.

Hurts completed 15-of-21passes for 121 yards. Miles Sanders ran for two touchdowns, including scores after the Eagles’ opening possession and again for 14-7 lead late in the second quarter.

A lost fumble by Johnson led another Philadelphia touchdown with 16 seconds left before halftime. The 21-7 advantage at the break felt much larger.

The Eagles return trip to the Super Bowl is notable for the club’s extreme makeover, namely at quarterback and coach. Nick Sirianni was hired in 2021 to replace Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson. Hurts is in his second season as the full-time starter.


You can follow Art Garcia on Twitter @ArtGarcia92.

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Art Garcia
ART GARCIA

Art Garcia has watched, wondered and written about those fortunate few to play games for the last 30 years. Award-winning stops at NBA.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and San Antonio Express-News dot a career that includes extensive writing for such outlets as ESPN.com, FOXSports.com, CBSSports.com, The Sporting News and more. He is a former professor of sports reporting at UT Arlington and continues to work in the communications field. Garcia began covering the Dallas Mavericks right around Mark Cuban purchasing the club in 2000. The Texas A&M grad has also covered the Cowboys, Rangers, TCU, Big 12, Final Fours, countless bowl games, including the National Championship, and just about everything involving a ball in DFW since 1999.