After competing in the last two NFC Championship Games, Tom Brady watched the Philadelphia Eagles punch a Super Bowl ticket with an easy 31-7 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Quarterback Brock Purdy suffered an elbow injury in the first quarter, and backup Josh Johnson left during the second half with a concussion. That left the 49ers without a healthy quarterback at the end of an ugly loss.
Discussing the unfortunate sequence of events on hisLet’s Go podcast (h/t Pro Football Talk), Brady told Jim Gray those injuries put San Francisco in an impossible spot.
“Injuries play a role in every game, and your margin of error changes quite a bit,” Brady said. “Obviously San Fran had really no chance to compete yesterday. That was tough just to see that happen, but at the same time, it’s the reality of the sport.”
Brady said injuries at other important positions will affect the game’s outcome, but it’s particularly noticeable at quarterback. He called that attrition “part of the sport” that makes football “unpredictable.”
“Anything can happen in the first quarter of the game, and of course it’s going to affect the outcome,” Brady added. “So if you’re relegated to handing the ball off down 28 points or whatever it was there in the fourth quarter, there’s no chance of coming back at that point.”
Brady knows how potent the 49ers looked behind Purdy, who led them to a 31-7 victory over the Buccaneers on Dec. 11. The seventh-round pick completed 16 of 21 passes for 185 yards, two passing touchdowns, and one rushing score in his first career start.
San Francisco won all seven of Purdy’s starts ahead of the NFC Championship Game, but he only got to attempt four passes Sunday. The 23-year-old tore his UCL and could be out for six months, assuming he avoids reconstructive Tommy John surgery.
Purdy’s injury could enhance speculation of Brady joining his hometown team as a free agent this offseason. Meanwhile, two of Brady’s more recent Super Bowl opponents will clash when the Eagles face the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.