Quarterback Brock Purdy discussed the elbow injury that knocked him out of the NFC Championship Game Sunday. Purdy would return in the second half, but was not able to throw the ball effectively.
The 49ers' fate was likely sealed on their first possession, resulting in a 31-7 NFC Championship Game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
Eagles outside linebacker Haason Reddick's strip sack of rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who sustained an elbow injury on the play, changed the contest. The turnover and Purdy exiting the game shifted the win probability even more in Philadelphia's favor.
Philadelphia had a 67-percent win probability before the strip sack, but after the play, the Eagles' chances for a victory jumped to 78 percent due to the turnover.
Reddick generating the game-changing turnover shouldn't come as a surprise. The 28-year-old has recorded a league-high 4.5 percent sack rate this season, the only player over 4 percent (minimum 300 pass rushes).
Purdy did return in the second half after backup quarterback Josh Johnson took a big hit on the 49ers' first drive after halftime. However, with Purdy's elbow injury, San Francisco's passing game was compromised.
San Francisco's running game, which had Christian McCaffrey score on a 23-yard run in the second quarter, did all it could to carry the offense.
San Francisco 49ers
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Nonetheless, with the Eagles forcing three turnovers and the 49ers having little to no passing game, the odds were too much for coach Kyle Shanahan's crew to overcome.
