The San Francisco 49ers ate a loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. The brutal 28-7 loss snapped their 12-game winning streak and simultaneously ended their season one stop short of the Super Bowl, just like last season.
While the Niners dealt with persistent quarterback issues that they frankly couldn’t avoid, the defense lacked. They played well for a half, but things came undone in the second half. A brutal array of penalties and a pure lack of discipline led to their demise. They finished the game with 11 penalties for 81 yards. By comparison, the NFC Champion Eagles had just four for only 34 yards.
This was a rarity for the 49ers. Not just this season, but in franchise history. “Today is the 3rd time in franchise history that the 49ers have had 10+ penalties in a playoff game,” tweeted Pro Football Reference.
Today is the 3rd time in franchise history that the @49ers have had 10+ penalties in a playoff game.#NFL | #49ers pic.twitter.com/Hm0Up826WF
— Pro Football Reference (@pfref) January 29, 2023
If that wasn’t enough to fully describe the Niners’ terrible performance, ESPN Stats & Info swooped in. They tweeted, “The 49ers defense committed 3 penalties on the second Eagles touchdown drive alone, which ties their 3 total penalties they committed against Dallas last week.”
The NFL world ripped the Niners for their undisciplined play throughout the second half as the game winded down. Needless to say, everybody was willing to take a shot or troll them. Including some current players.
49ers incensed that three obvious penalties were correctly called on them.
— Mookie Alexander (@mookiealexander) January 29, 2023
Wow. #49ers discipline continues to wane.
Personal foul on Talanoa Hufanga. Just penalty after penalty.#49wz
— Rohan Chakravarthi (@RohanChakrav) January 29, 2023
The QB is a storyline for sure but the 49ers lack of discipline on defense has been a killer
— Daniel Shirley (@DM_Shirley) January 29, 2023
[Pro Football Reference, ESPN Stats & Info]