49ers' season ends with frustrating, sloppy loss to Eagles originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Brock Purdy, one of the season's biggest storylines, sustained a right elbow injury on the 49ers' first offensive drive of the game and was listed as questionable to return. He sat out the remainder of the first half as Josh Johnson took over, and the rookie quarterback remained out to begin the second half.
But when Johnson took a big hit on the 49ers' first drive after halftime, Purdy was forced to return the game. By that point, the 49ers already trailed 21-7 and there wasn't much hope of mounting a comeback with a compromised quarterback.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
The Eagles immediately scored on the next drive, putting the game out of reach for the 49ers.
Purdy finished the game completing all four passes he threw for 23 yards. Johnson completed 7 of 13 passes and threw for 74 yards.
Christian McCaffrey was the 49ers' best player Sunday, carrying the ball 14 times for 78 yards while scoring San Francisco's only touchdown on a 23-yard run in the second quarter. He also caught four passes for 22 yards.
Sports
Despite finishing the regular season with a 13-4 record and winning 12 straight before losing to the Eagles, the 49ers head into the offseason with questions to answer at quarterback. Coach Kyle Shanahan must decide if Purdy has done enough to lock up the 2023 starting job or if a healthy Trey Lance will regain his spot.
RELATED: Sirianni's challenge successful while Shanahan misses opportunity
For the third time in four years, the 49ers' season has ended with a bitter NFL playoff loss and they'll have to suffer through another long offseason wondering what could have been.
