The game-long chippiness between the 49ers and Eagles on Sunday eventually resulted in players throwing hands at Lincoln Financial Field.
San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw was penalized for unnecessary roughness late in the NFC championship game after he was seen attempting to punch the ball out of Kenneth Gainwell's hands.
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Those punches were more akin to left hooks than Peanut Punches:
Uhhhhh Dre Greenlaw? pic.twitter.com/sP91J3GDmz
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthewCFB) January 29, 2023
Greenlaw wasn't ejected, though it's possible he will incur the fourth fine of his NFL career. To date, he has racked up $26,387 in NFL fines for a late hit, a helmet-to-helmet hit and a taunting penalty.
MORE: Philadelphia routs banged-up San Francisco to advance to Super Bowl 57
The worst part of the outburst is that San Francisco had the Eagles stopped for a 2-yard gain on third-and-12 at the 49ers' 28. Greenlaw's penalty gave Philadelphia 14 free yards and a first down at the Niners' 14. The Eagles ran three more plays before kicking a field goal to make the score 31-7, which was the final margin.
Regardless, Eagles fans did not appreciate the boxing exhibition. The same was true for several neutral observers:
The thing I haven't seen mentioned about the Greenlaw penalty is the accuracy of the punches. Say what you want about how it looked or if it was a penalty but he was 3 for 3 on squaring up the ball
— Mitchell Schwartz (@MitchSchwartz71) January 29, 2023
Greenlaw absolutely walloping the ball after the play was over is hilarious
— BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL (@edsbs) January 29, 2023
Those punches from Dre Greenlaw were so clean. Didn’t hit the ball carrier once.
— Andrew Pasquini (@pasquiniandrew) January 29, 2023
Greenlaw is by far the dirtiest person in the NFL.
— Ry (@JustRyCole) January 29, 2023
Can’t stand him.
On 3rd & 12, Dre Greenlaw gets flagged for peanut punching the ball after the play was over. That's yet another first down via penalty for the Eagles.
— Niners Nation (@NinersNation) January 29, 2023
I get the frustration and I feel for #49ers fans and the QB situation in this game. But I have lost a lot of respect for the 49ers in this one. It's a pure loser mentality to be throwing punches after a whistle (Greenlaw) or to be throwing players down (Williams).
— Shane Haff (@HAFFnHAFF_TPL) January 29, 2023
Greenlaw thinks he’s above the law huh. You can’t hook off on people
— Tyrone Johnson (@TyJohnsonNews) January 29, 2023
That wasn't the only poor sportsmanship shown by the 49ers. On their ensuing drive, All-Pro tackle Trent Williams flung safety K'Von Wallace to the turf from behind, prompting retaliation by the latter and nearly resulting in a brawl:
Omg Trent Williams pic.twitter.com/BpfLjdBUqR
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) January 29, 2023
Both players were ejected.
That was the final blowup in an overall poor mental performance by San Francisco, which was clearly frustrated at the loss of starting quarterback Brock Purdy to an elbow injury. His backup, Josh Johnson, was later ruled out with a concussion, forcing Purdy back into the game. Purdy finished the game with only four pass attempts (all completions) for 23 yards.
The 49ers finished the game with 11 penalties for 81 yards, three off the conference championship mark set by the then-Oakland Raiders in the 2003 AFC championship game.
Now, the 49ers' season is over, with Williams' ending a little sooner than his teammates. Greenlaw and he both stand to receive a significant fine from the NFL for their troubles.