Neil Reynolds' Wraps Week 13

The San Francisco 49ers had some unfinished business that they wanted to take care of on Sunday when they travelled east to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13's biggest game and in what was arguably the most-hyped contest of the season to date.

The Niners, as you will of course know by now, were left quarterback-less and helpless in last season's NFC Championship Game. With Brock Purdy seriously hurt and unable to throw, San Francisco then lost backup Josh Johnson to a concussion and were forced to run out the clock on their Super Bowl dreams, falling to a 31-7 defeat.

San Francisco felt hard done by, the Eagles couldn't care less. The Niners felt they had a serious shot at winning that game last season. Philadelphia were annoyed that the injuries were used as an excuse for a game the 49ers could have lost anyway.

The bad blood that existed verbally all week became a physical manifestation during pre-game warmups and throughout a contest that told us a great deal about the balance of power in the NFC. There was even an unusual sideline scrap that saw 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw and Eagles head of security, Dom DiSandro ejected from the game. Both men can expect a letter in the mail from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell this week.

San Francisco needed this one. It was supposed to serve as a form of therapy. But they could not have made a worse start, registering -6 total yards in the first quarter – a 15-minute period in which the Eagles were only able to build a 6-0 lead on two Jake Elliott field goals.

Once the 49ers got rolling, the Eagles could not live with them. San Francisco found the end zone on six consecutive drives and Brock Purdy (314 passing yards and four touchdowns) led the way. But boy oh boy, did he