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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Glenn Erby

Eagles vs. 49ers: 10 takeaways from the first half as Philadelphia holds a 21-7 lead

The Eagles are just 30 minutes of good football away from advancing to Super Bowl 57 after taking a 21-7 lead over the 49ers at the half.

Jalen Hurts was solid, while San Francisco’s star rookie Brock Purdy was forced to exit Sunday’s matchup with an elbow injury after a strip sack by Haason Reddick.

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49ers star tight end George Kittle was limited to one catch for nine yards in the first half, while his counterpart, Dallas Goedert, logged five catches for 23 yards on seven targets.

With the second half set to begin, here are 10 takeaways from the first half.

Haason Reddick hs dominant

(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Reddick led the league in strip sacks this season (now 6, including playoffs), and has recorded 18.5 sacks in 19 games.

Reddick has three tackles, two sacks, one tackle for loss, and one pass defended in the first half.

Brock Purdy injured

(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Purdy was 2-2 for 19 yards passing before exiting the contest.

Wire Gate

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The punt may or may not have hit the wire.

Solid first quarter

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Jalen Hurts was 8-11 for 71 yards in the first quarter, and Philadelphia had 83 total yards in the first quarter with 18 plays.

Through one half of play, Hurts is 13-19 for 97 yards.

Josh Johnson tossed into the fire

(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

A first cousin of former NFL star Marshawn Lynch, Josh Johnson made his first career playoff appearance with Purdy’s exit.

Johnson is an athletic quarterback, but has a 1-8 record in his NFL career, with 13 passing touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

In the first half after being inserted, Johnson went 5-9 passing for 51 yards.

Eagles feasting on 49ers offensive front

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia logged three early sacks against the Niners and will look to pressure Josh Johnson in the second half.

Missed tackles are going to cost the Eagles

(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

San Francisco tied the game up with a six-play, 46-yard drive that ended with a Christian McCaffrey 23-yard touchdown run.

Four Eagles missed tackles on the play, starting with Marcus Epps and ending with two Birds defenders not wrapping up as McCaffrey ran in for the score.

Jalen Hurts negated as a rusher

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Hurts had over 700 yards rushing during the regular season, but has been limited to four carries for -1 yards on the ground.

Third down drama

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia was 2-7 on third down and up until late in the second quarter and looked out of sync on offense after that successful first drive.

The Eagles were 2-2 on critical fourth downs.

Kenneth Gainwell with the juice

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Gainwell had three carries for 21 yards, with a 17-yard burst to put the Eagles into scoring position with two minutes left in the first half.

Random Notes

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Miles Sanders had 10 carries for 39 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.

A.J. Brown led the Eagles in catches with four grabs for 28 yards during tightly contested matchups on the outside.

Philadelphia had the advantage in the turnover battle (2/0) after Josh Johnson’s costly fumble late in the second quarter.

Boston Scott has scored a touchdown in three straight games.

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