Deebo Samuel and San Francisco 49ers back up trash-talking to win 'grimy' Philadelphia Eagles rematch
Deebo Samuel said he was 'in the zone' as he backed up his trash talk to deliver a dominant performance in the San Francisco 49ers' 42-19 win over the Philadelphia Eagles; Samuel scored three touchdowns as Brock Purdy threw four scores on the night.
Last Updated: 04/12/23 11:46am
Deebo Samuel incited needle before following through emphatically as he guided the San Francisco 49ers to victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in their eagerly-awaited NFC Championship Game rematch on Sunday.
The two sides were meeting for the first time since quarterback Brock Purdy exited with an injury and the 49ers were forced to abandon the passing game entirely during January's playoff exit.
Samuel would later labelled Eagles cornerback James Bradberry 'trash' during the offseason, and recently doubled down on his opinion of the veteran ahead of Sunday's matchup.
His final word was a wave goodbye to the Eagles crowd after screeching away for a 46-yard touchdown on a night that saw him touch the ball seven times for 138 yards and three scores from scrimmage.
"I ain't going to lie, I was in that zone all week long," said Samuel. "Of course they beat us in the NFC championship, and then at the end of the day, talking trash, it's just part of the game.
"We're talking trash, having fun, and we came out here and got a win."
Samuel put the 49ers up 21-6 early in the third quarter when he scooted around on a reverse handoff before following multiple blockers on his way to a 12-yard rush inside the pylon. He later shirked a Nicholas Morrow tackle attempt over the middle of the field before turning on the afterburners to run away for 48 yards to the house.
His third touchdown would ice the win as he followed a beautifully designed tunnel screen to break free for 46 yards, Bradberry having notably been the man lined up across from him pre-snap.
"I love the fact that he can talk and set the stage and walk into a hostile environment and just thrive," said Niners edge rusher Nick Bosa. "That's what greatness is made of, for sure."
Purdy weathered a shaky opening two possessions to strengthen his growing MVP case as he finished 19 of 27 for 314 yards and four touchdowns with a passer rating of 148.8. He had featured prominently during the build-up amid debate over what might have been had he not been injured when the teams faced off in January.
"It was sort of on my mind, yeah," said Purdy, "But we needed this game. I didn't want to get distracted by, 'I've got to go back and show everybody what could have happened or what could have been'."
In Purdy fashion, roughly a year after making his unlikely debut as last year's Mr Irrelevant, the 49ers quarterback was unfazed in one of the most fiery atmospheres of the season.
"I just think Brock did what he does every week. He just plays the game," said head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "He tries to play it the right way, and one of the best things he did when we were down was he didn't try to make too much stuff up and try to overcompensate when you are down. He just kept with the plan and kept doing his job and did a hell of a job with it."
Tempers had threatened to boil over at various points throughout the game, and finally did so when Dre Greenlaw was flagged for suplexing DeVonta Smith out of bounds before exchanging words with the Eagles' Head of Security, with both men removed from the game as a result.
San Francisco meanwhile had to contend with an Eagles team that refuses to go away behind its own ice cold quarterback in Jalen Hurts, evidenced in last week's overtime win against the Buffalo Bills.
Purdy had set the tone in response to back-to-back punts to open the game when he bounced off a Bradley Roby tackle attempt before dropping the shoulder against safety Reed Blankenship to power his way to the four-yard line. It would set up Brandon Aiyuk's two-yard touchdown catch to put the 49ers on top two players later.
"We talk about trying to win a grimy game," explained linebacker Fred Warner. "That's the feel for me. Yeah, we won 42-19. But at the beginning of the game, those crucial moments where we had to stand tall in the red zone, when the offense couldn't really get anything going to start then bouncing back, losing guys, penalties, shifts in momentum, guys stepping up and making plays when they had to. That was as grimy as it gets."
The result moves the 49ers within a game of the number one-seeded Eagles, who drop to 10-2 as they turn their attention to a crucial divisional matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.
"We're not good enough right now," said Eagles center Jason Kelce. "Obviously, disappointed in the way we performed, didn't get it done today. But we've still got some games left, a lot of football to learn from. I still have the utmost confidence in everybody in this locker room on both sides of the ball. This game doesn't do anything to sway that."