5 stats that defined 49ers’ loss to Eagles in NFC Championship

The 49ers lost ugly to the Eagles in the NFC Championship game on Sunday, and these five stats paint a clearer picture of why it happened.

The San Francisco 49ers had won 12 games in a row dating back to October, and that win streak included two victories in the postseason.

Unfortunately for head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co., a 13th win was not on the table.

The Niners fell in ugly fashion to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game, losing 31-7 and witnessing a crashing halt to one of the more dominant stretches in recent franchise history.

And it’s a shame a team of that caliber won’t be able to compete for a sixth Super Bowl title later this February.

The final score tells a pretty daunting tale for San Francisco fans, one that’ll be discussed all offseason.

Yet the score is only a part of the story, and these stats reveal the truth behind why the 49ers ultimately lost.

49ers glaring stat vs. Eagles: Josh Johnson has 13 pass attempts

There were undoubtedly a number of turning points throughout the game that went in Philly’s favor. Still, none were as critical as quarterback Brock Purdy having to exit after suffering an elbow injury at the tail end of the Niners’ opening possession.

Purdy would return, of course, but he couldn’t throw more than 5 yards or so because of the injury.

And the only reason he returned to action was that his backup, Josh Johnson, had to exit with a concussion.

Johnson attempted 13 passes during his interlude, completing seven but not making much of an impact.

Ironically, Johnson ended up leading the three San Francisco players (including running back Christian McCaffrey) in pass attempts during the game.

When that is part of the context, that team typically loses against a top-tier opponent.

49ers glaring stat vs. Eagles: Philadelphia rushes for 4 touchdowns

The 49ers defense valiantly kept the team in the game despite the injury to Brock Purdy, and it was a near miracle that the score was 21-7 nearly halfway into the third quarter in light of all that happened up to that point.

However, as was to be expected with the Niners offense having gone inept, the defense finally cracked.

Perhaps the most surprising development was San Francisco allowing a total of four rushing touchdowns, two to Eagles running back Miles Sanders, another to fellow runner Boston Scott and a fourth to quarterback Jalen Hurts.

That’s pretty surprising for the NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense from the regular season, a unit that allowed only 11 rushing touchdowns over the entirety of Weeks 1 through 18.

Either way, the Eagles were able to net all four of their touchdowns via the ground, which was uncharacteristic for the 49ers.

49ers glaring stat vs. Eagles: Time of possession

One of the ways the Niners could have defeated the Eagles would have been to maintain control of the clock while keeping Jalen Hurts and a dangerous Philly offense off the field.

Granted, that would have been tough against an awfully good Philadelphia defense, but that same defense allowed an average of 4.6 rush yards per attempt during the regular season, and one figured that would feed right into what Kyle Shanahan would want to do.

Brock Purdy’s injury changed everything, though, and San Francisco could never get much of a ground attack going.

As such, there were far too many failed third-down tries (six out of eight third-down attempts), and that led to the Eagles dominating the time-of-possession battle.

The difference? A whopping 37:26 to 22:34, almost a two-to-one ratio.

The 49ers wouldn’t have had a chance if time of possession edged heavily in Philly’s favor, and that turned out to be the case.

49ers glaring stat vs. Eagles: Penalties

OK, let’s get to the hot-button topic.

Right away, it’s not hard to see the discrepancy between San Francisco and Philadelphia in the accepted-penalty department:

• 49ers: 11 penalties for 81 yards
• Eagles: 4 penalties for 34 yards

Sure, the counter-argument (and somewhat rightfully so) is the Niners were less disciplined than their Philly opponents, yet it’s hard to jive that with some of the notable and reputable reactions from those watching the game:

Related Story: Twitter reacts to officials screwing 49ers in NFC Championship game

Yes, some of the calls that went against San Francisco were wholly justified.

However, plenty of others weren’t. That “roughing” the kicker call? Well, it’d be hard for running back Jordan Mason to avoid contact when he was pushed from behind by a Philadelphia special teamer.

Same with defensive back Jimmie Ward being flagged for pass interference on a call within 5 yards from the line of scrimmage.

Even worse, many of those calls led to momentum for the Eagles.

49ers glaring stat vs. Eagles: First downs from penalties

It’s one thing to be flagged a lot during a game.

It’s another when the nature and context of those penalties add up to something detrimental. In the 49ers’ case, it did and then some.

Not only were the Niners flagged a bunch, but check out the number of penalties that resulted in a Philly first down:

• Penalties against 49ers that result in an Eagles first down: 7
• Penalties against Eagles that result in a 49ers first down: 0

Yes, Philadelphia had seven first downs granted by penalty, while the Niners had none.

If the 49ers had a reputation for being a heavily penalized team entering the playoffs, that might have made sense. But the Niners were a middle-of-the-pack squad in this department.

While it’s never going to be proven that the officials were “out to get” San Francisco in the NFC Championship game, the overall results aren’t going to quell the chorus of conspiracy theorists who think the NFL is rigged.

Or that the officials simply like Eagles football better than 49ers football.

Either way, the above stat wasn’t pretty for anyone involved.