Philadelphia Eagles star Haason Reddick is tired of hearing how the San Francisco 49ers should have won last year’s NFC Championship game. That’s why he has a simple response ahead of the team’s massive clash on Sunday afternoon: “Stop crying and prove it.”
The 2023 NFC Championship game is one that will live in San Francisco 49ers infamy forever, and understandably so. After a magical finish to the season where they won 10 straight and rookie Brock Purdy became a household name, they were able to continue their dominance in the NFL playoffs and reach the conference title game.
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Everything seemed lined up for the franchise to once again try and win their first championship since 1995. However, early in their game against the NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles, Purdy was hit on the arm by Haason Reddick during a pass, causing a serious injury to his shoulder that required offseason surgery. Backup Josh Johnson was also knocked out of the game by the Philly defense due to a concussion.
The Eagles would go on to a dominant 31-7 victory and to last season’s Super Bowl. It is a day that 49ers fans will look back on for the rest of their fandom and wonder what could have happened if Purdy was not hurt. It is something San Francisco players have publicly wondered about as well since. Well, Reddick is tired of the public doubts.
Philadelphia Eagles star challenges San Francisco 49ers to prove they are the better team this weekend
In a chat this week with KYW Radio in Philadelphia, Reddick was asked about the narrative by some that San Francisco would have won if Purdy had been healthy. The 2022 Pro Bowler believes that “talk is cheap” and if the 49ers players really believe that, they can prove it inside Lincoln Financial Field this weekend.
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“Talk is cheap,” Reddick said. “You know, they get to come back in The Linc. It was a lot of boo hoos last year, a lot of crying, a lot of what if, a lot of this, a lot of that. They get a chance to come back in here, line that [expletive] up, and prove it again.”
The Philadelphia Eagles will welcome the San Francisco 49ers to their home field for a 4:25 PM ET game on FOX this Sunday.