49ers player accuses NFL of wanting Eagles in Super Bowl

Somebody associated with the San Francisco 49ers has suggested the NFL preferred for the Philadelphia Eagles to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LVII.

One anonymous 49ers player told NFL insider Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle that the injury to rookie quarterback Brock Purdy early in Sunday's NFC Championship Game ended San Francisco's chances of notching an upset win in Philadelphia for reasons that had nothing to do with fourth-choice option Josh Johnson.

"It felt like once Purdy got hurt, someone at the league called down and said, 'Make sure the Eagles get to the Super Bowl, and not them,'" the player said to Silver about the officiating he witnessed at Lincoln Financial Field. 

Silver added he withheld the player's name "because he would prefer to keep his money, rather than paying a fine to the NFL." Silver also wrote that the player "wasn’t the only frustrated person in that locker room" left fuming over the referees. 

As mentioned by ESPN's Nick Wagoner and Adam Schefter, Purdy suffered what was later learned to be a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on San Francisco's sixth offensive snap against Philadelphia. 

The Niners were already without Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo because of injury setbacks and then had to go back to a version of Purdy who could barely throw after Johnson was ruled out with a concussion in the third quarter.

The Eagles defeated the 49ers 31-7 in a game that wasn't even that close. 

Purdy was physically able to attempt only four total passes against the Eagles. He completed all of those throws for 23 yards, but the 49ers essentially were left without an NFL offense after Johnson was sidelined. 

While a non-call undeniably impacted the final seconds of the AFC Championship Game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs, the Eagles likely needed little help from the officials to beat a 49ers side that maybe should've given fullback and emergency quarterback Kyle Juszczyk some playing time under center.