The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 42-19, on Sunday, December 3, at the Lincoln Financial Field in a rematch of last year's NFC Championship game protagonists.
Brock Purdy accounted for four touchdowns while Deebo Samuel scored three of those to help San Francisco pull to within one game of the top spot in the NFC playoff race, NBC Sports reported.
The Eagles and the 49ers are two teams expected to face off again in January, with a ticket to the Super Bowl at stake. Here are some takeaways from the Eagles vs. 49ers game on Sunday.
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Niners get the tie-breaker edge
With the win, the Niners will own the tie-break in case the two teams end up with similar slates.
The Eagles, playing their third game in 13 days, dropped to 10-2 this NFL season. The win, on the other hand, improved San Francisco's record to 9-3.
Christian McCaffrey enters 49ers record books
Christian McCaffrey continues to prove he was a good acquisition by the Niners this season. Against the Eagles, he registered a first in the teams' record books, a first under coach Kyle Shanahan.
McCaffrey hit the 1,000-yard rushing mark in the Week 13 win over the Eagles, making him the first player to achieve the feat under Shanahan's watch.
Further, it was the first time that a Niners' player was able to do so since Frank Gore in 2014, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.
New NFL rivalry brewing
The Eagles vs. 49ers Week 13 was so heated that it resulted in the ejection of Niners linebacker Dre Greenlaw and Eagles security official Dom DiSandro.
The incident started after Greenlaw got into an altercation with DeVonta Smith in the third quarter. Greenlaw had slammed Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith, and a scuffle ensued.
DiSandro tried to separate the two players as refs attempted to diffuse the situation. The security official shoved the 26-year-old linebacker, but Greenlaw's left hand made contact with DiSandro's face, USA Today reported.
Dre Greenlaw was called for a personal foul after this interaction with Eagles security staffer Dom DiSandro. Both were ejected from the game.
— ESPN (@espn) December 3, 2023
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/bRBFyg9BQz
Greenlaw was eventually disqualified, and DiSandro was forced to leave as well. There is a chance that DiSandro could incur additional NFL discipline for his role in the scuffle.
"(Greenlaw) made contact with the staff member which warranted his disqualification," NFL senior vice president of officiating Walt Anderson said. "The non-player, he was contributing to that escalation."
Samuel, Aiyuk had a score to settle
With Ray-Ray McCloud inactive against the Eagles, Deebo Samuel took over in the kickoff returns. The game meant much for the 27-year-old wide receiver, dating back to their NFC Championship Game last season.
Together with teammate Brandon Aiyuk, Samuel had a score to settle, and this glaringly showed.
Samuel gave the 49ers some breathing room to cap the third quarter's first drive when he took a pitch from Purdy and sprinted around the right end for a 12-yard touchdown run.
Aiyuk also did his share. He caught a 10-yard pass from Purdy on a third-and-7 situation moments after the Eagles narrowed it to 28-13 in the third quarter.
Though the Niners and the Eagles have never been known as rivals, things are expected to get more interesting - especially if the two teams end up slugging it out for a Super Bowl spot.
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