PHILADELPHIA — Instead of waiting for a delayed replay, the 49ers could’ve noticed something was fishy by DeVonta Smith’s live reaction. 

The officials in the NFC Championship game blew a pivotal first-quarter call Sunday by ruling a completion on a one-handed 29-yard catch by Smith on a fourth-and-3 that set up the Eagles’ first touchdown. Smith waved his teammates back to the line of scrimmage to get off the snap before the 49ers could throw a challenge flag — and it was clear why when the one telling replay angle shown on the Fox broadcast finally appeared, showing the ball came loose as the receiver hit the turf. 

“I didn’t know if I caught it or not,” Smith said, “so I was like, ‘Let’s just hurry up.’ ” 

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Hero, zeros and full blitz from the Eagles’ win over the 49ers in the NFC Championship game on Sunday.

Hero

Eagles pass-rusher Haason Reddick had two sacks and knocked quarterback Brock Purdy out of the game on his fumble-causing first sack. He also recovered a fumble to set up a touchdown later in the first half. 

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PHILADELPHIA — Eagles versus Chiefs.

Kelce versus Kelce.

“I got a Kansas City sweatshirt, I’m gonna wear it for the next three hours and then that’s it for the rest of the year,” Eagles center Jason Kelce said after the Eagles’ 31-7 NFC Championship game win over the 49ers. “Win or lose, I’m done being a Chiefs fan in three hours.”

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PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts doesn’t have to apologize just because he didn’t have to impose his will on the NFC Championship game against the 49ers when Brock Purdy’s Cinderella season was lost to a first-quarter elbow injury.

He deserves this moment.

He deserves this chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of Super Bowl 2023.

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PHILADELPHIA — The depths of the 49ers’ quarterback magic turned out to be what amounted to a fifth-stringer with one hand tied behind his back. 

Brock Purdy suffered an elbow injury, Josh Johnson suffered a concussion and the 49ers were left Sunday playing the final 27 minutes of the NFC Championship game with a version of Purdy that couldn’t throw a pass beyond 5 yards. 

Turns out that head coach Kyle Shanahan can win with first-, second- and third-stringers, but handing off to Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle was no way to make up a double-digit deficit in a 31-7 loss to the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. 

Brock Purdy has reportedly suffered an injury to his ulnar collateral ligament, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, but an MRI on Monday will confirm the potential diagnosis.

"The hope is that it's not ruptured, and it would require only a six-week recovery," Schefter tweeted, "but tests Monday will provide clarity."

Well, this is awkward.

The Empire State Building will be lit in green and white to celebrate Philadelphia's win in the NFC Championship game. Perhaps it's a jab at the Jets and Giants for not advancing that far — or, for the Jets, not even making the postseason at all.

"Did y'all lose a bet," ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes asked in a reply.

PHILADELPHIA — White rally towels waved, players flapped their arms like wings and the sing-along party finally started in the stands around the time that punches landed on the field. 

It was clear Sunday that the Eagles were bound for Super Bowl LVII for most of an NFC Championship game that was ugly in a multitude of ways, from the final score to the melee that broke out with four minutes remaining in garbage time at Lincoln Financial Field. 

Not that football fans needed this lesson, but the Eagles’ 31-7 victory against the 49ers showed that a dual-threat quarterback beats a no-threat quarterback. 

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Things got ugly between the 49ers and Eagles at the end of Sunday’s NFC Championship game.

With 4:13 left and the Eagles dominating their eventual 31-7 win, 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams slammed Philadelphia safety K’Von Wallace to the ground during a skirmish, causing both benches to clear as officials tried to keep things from escalating further.

Both Williams and Wallace were ejected from the game.

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Behind four rushing touchdowns and a defense that capitalized on a strange San Francisco quarterback situation, the Eagles defeated the 49ers, 31-7, and advanced to Super Bowl LVII. They'll face the winner of the Chiefs and the Bengals in Sunday night's AFC Championship game.

Brock Purdy exited in the first quarter with an elbow injury, but a concussion to fourth-string quarterback Josh Johnson forced him back into the game in the second half. But Purdy couldn't throw the ball downfield, and the 49ers settled into a sequence of predictable runs followed by more predictable runs. Purdy finished with a line of 4-for-4 for 23 yards.

Jalen Hurts rushed for a touchdown, Miles Sanders rushed for two and Boston Scott even added a score. The Eagles jumped out to a two-possession lead at halftime, and they only added to that across the final 30 minutes.

Tensions had been brewing since warmups Sunday, but everything boiled over when San Francisco offensive lineman Trent Williams threw Eagles safety K'Von Wallace onto the ground. Both players were ejected, and others rushed in from the sidelines as referees tried to separate the teams.

The third-and-9 had started with Christian McCaffrey running for six yards.

Another costly penalty from San Francisco's defense — this time an unnecessary roughness call from outside linebacker Dre Greenlaw — gave the Eagles a key first down, but the 49ers' defense held them to a field goal.

Jake Elliott connected from 31 yards, and Philadelphia now leads, 31-7. San Francisco has been flagged 11 times for 81 yards.