Eagles bid farewell to two-time NFL champs with loss to 49ers

The Philadelphia Eagles, reigning American Football League champions (NFL), were eliminated Sunday in their playoff debut with a 23-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, on a day that also saw wins by the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots.

Two touchdowns by star Christian McCaffrey in the fourth quarter capped the upset at Eagles Stadium in this wild-card round game.

The victory of the 49ers, who overcame a plague of injuries, allows them to continue dreaming of lifting their first title in three decades in the Super Bowl next February 8, to be played in their stadium.

Their next opponents will be the Seattle Seahawks, exempt from playing this round because of their status as the top seed in the National Conference.

Under the whistles of their own fans, the Eagles became the last of the big favorites to say goodbye to the race for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

In the unpredictable regular season, contenders such as the Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens and especially Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs, three-time champions since 2020 and last year's finalists, have already fallen.

The starting gate opened Sunday for the Eagles of Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley, who again fell far short of their exceptional performances of last season.

The quarterback was held to 168 yards and a passing touchdown and barely posed a ground threat rushing for just 14 yards.

Barkley, meanwhile, recorded 106 ground yards with no touchdowns.

On the other side, Brock Purdy and McCaffrey stood up for the 49ers, who, without defensive giants Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, saw tight end George Kittle leave on a stretcher before halftime with an Achilles tendon injury.

Offensive wreckage

The Eagles, who went into the locker room dominating 13-10, instilled nervousness among their fans by not taking a bigger lead during the third quarter.

Facing a defense full of theoretical backups, Philadelphia barely added a Jake Elliott field goal before the 49ers took a 17-16 lead early in the fourth quarter on McCaffrey's first touchdown.

The hosts, with an inoperative offense, went ahead again with another insufficient field goal by Elliott and McCaffrey delivered the final kick with his second touchdown with two minutes, 54 seconds remaining.

The running back completed 48 yards rushing and another 66 receiving while Purdy reached 262 yards and two passing touchdowns.

Venezuela's Borregales revives Patriots

The New England Patriots earned their first playoff win since 2019 by beating the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3.

Venezuelan kicker Andy Borregales took care of New England's first nine points with three field goals of 23, 35 and 39 yards.

The 23-year-old rookie completed a flawless playoff debut by also converting the extra point following a late-quarter touchdown run by Hunter Henry, who capitalized on a 28-yard pass from Drake May.

The Patriots' ferocious defense took care of the rest on a subdued night for Chargers star quarterback Justin Herbert, who totaled just 159 yards passing and 57 rushing with no touchdowns.

The young May, a contender for the league's MVP of the season, shined in his postseason debut with 268 yards and a passing touchdown and another 66 rushing yards.