2022 NFC Championship Game

First half

Philadelphia running back Boston Scott started off the game with a 29-yard kickoff return to his 34-yard line. Quarterback Jalen Hurts subsequently completed 5/7 passes for 54 yards, the longest a 29-yard throw to DeVonta Smith, who made a one-handed catch on 4th-and-3 to give the Eagles a first down on the San Francisco 6-yard line despite replays showing that he did not complete the catch. Miles Sanders ran the ball into the end zone from there to give the team a 7–0 lead. San Francisco took the ball and drove to midfield, but then Haason Reddick sacked Purdy as he was winding up for a pass, and Linval Joseph recovered it for the Eagles. Purdy's throwing arm was injured on the play, and he missed the rest of the half.

Several possessions later, 49ers punter Mitch Wishnowsky's 38-yard kick pinned the Eagles back at their own 6-yard line. Philadelphia ended up punting back to San Francisco from their 2, and Ray-Ray McCloud's 9-yard return gave them a first down on the Eagles 46-yard line. Running back Christian McCaffrey went on to get the ball on six of the 49ers next seven plays, gaining 44 of the drive's 46 yards and finishing it off with a 25-yard touchdown run in which he evaded 4 tackle attempts on the way to the end zone. The score was now tied with about 7 minutes left in the second quarter, but Philadelphia would go on to dominate the rest of the game. On their next drive, they took advantage of 3 penalties against San Francisco, marching 66 in 20 plays, the longest a 17-yard run by Kenneth Gainwell. Sanders completed the series with a 13-yard touchdown run, giving the team a 14–7 lead. On San Francisco's ensuing possession, Johnson fumbled a snap in shotgun formation. Reddick recovered the ball on the 49ers 30-yard line, setting up Scott's 10-yard touchdown run that increased Philadelphia's lead to 21–7 in the closing seconds of the first half.

Second half

On San Francisco's opening drive of the half, Johnson was knocked out of the game with a concussion, forcing the sore-armed Purdy back in to lead the team's offense. He would throw only two passes for the rest of the game. Midway through the third quarter, the Eagles went on another long scoring drive, this one covering 72 yards in 16 plays, one of them a 17-yard completion from Hurts to Gainwell on 3rd-and-5. Hurts also had a 14-yard run to give the team a first and goal, and eventually took the ball across the goal line himself on a 1-yard run. Now down 28–7, San Francisco lost the ball on their next drive attempting to convert a 4th-and-3 on their own 47-yard line. Gainwell then ran down the clock with 8 consecutive carries for 30 yards, setting up the final points of the game on Jake Elliott's 31-yard field goal with 5:20 left in the game.

Hurts completed 15 of 25 passes for 121 yards, while rushing 11 times for 39 yards and a touchdown. Reddick had 3 tackles (2 solo), 2 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Purdy and Johnson combined for just 97 passing yards. McCaffrey was the sole offensive star of the day with 15 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown, along with 4 receptions for 22 yards.

Emergency quarterback rule change

The 49ers' lack of a remaining healthy quarterback by the end of game led to a rule change enacted by the NFL in May 2023. The rule, informally referred to as the "Brock Purdy Rule", allows teams that only activate two quarterbacks for a game to play a third quarterback, but only if the first two quarterbacks are injured during that game.^[11] In this circumstance, calling in the third quarterback would not use up a roster spot for that team.^[12]