CNN
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The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 31-7, on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Stadium in Philadelphia, advancing to Super Bowl LVII.
The Eagles scored on their first possession and never looked back in defeating the 49ers.
The 49ers were momentarily left without a starter starting quarterback Brock Purdy after suffering a right elbow injury in the first quarter, after Eagles linebacker Hasson Reddick forced a fumble. Josh Johnson, San Francisco’s fourth quarterback, filled in for Purdy until the third quarter before being ruled out of the game with a concussion.
Playing on the injured elbow, Purdy returned to the game but the 49ers offense struggled to pick up any points.
Meanwhile, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia running back ran on all 49ers, racking up 148 rushing yards and scoring all four touchdowns on the ground. With his rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, Hurts (15) passed Cameron Newton (14) for most rushing touchdowns in a single season by a QB in NFL history, including playoffs, According to NFL Research.
The Eagles, who qualified for the Super Bowl for the first time since winning the 2017-18 season, will face the winners of the AFC Championship Game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs later Sunday.
Super Bowl LVII will be held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on February 12.
In the AFC, the Bengals and Chiefs are in for the second season in a row. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be looking for revenge after last year’s crushing defeat at Arrowhead Stadium. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will be looking to repeat last year’s bottom line with a fourth straight win over Kansas City.
The Chiefs finished the regular season as the top seed in the AFC. They’ve had a week off in the Wild Card stage, they’ve taken care of the Jaguars in the divisional round, and now they’re exactly where they want to be.
The only problem is that the star quarterback is not 100% healthy.
Mahomes suffered a sprained ankle in the divisional round. There’s no doubt he’ll persevere through the pain, but any issues with his movement will affect his playmaking abilities.
Mahomes will have to get creative with how he moves the ball up the field. The pressure is also on the offensive linemen to keep Mahomes protected. If left exposed, there is an increased risk of further injury.
While the Bengals are the away team and the lowest seed, it would be a mistake to consider them the underdogs.
In the divisional round, they upset the Bills and made it look easy. If this game is any indication of how things will turn out this weekend, the Chiefs should be ready for battle.
It is also worth noting that history favors Bengals. Boro 3-0 against Mahomes. And in all three games, Cincinnati was either tied or trailing to start the fourth quarter.
Even if the Chiefs took an early lead, the Bengals proved they wouldn’t count until the final whistle. And to top it all off, Burrow is a better quarterback than the last time these two met in the AFC title match. His numbers improved across the board, and he gained more experience playing at a high level.
Ultimately, the Chiefs are an elite team with an MVP-caliber quarterback, injured or not. The Bengals are a talented young team with history on their side. Only time will tell which team has what it takes to get to the next stage.
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