Darius Slay: Eagles' defense was motivated by George Kittle's comments prior to NFC title game
San Francisco 49ers All-Pro tight end George Kittle threw a few subtle jabs at the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of the NFC Championship Game, questioning the team's toughness.
Last Thursday, when asked if the Eagles could match the 49ers' physicality, Kittle responded, "We'll see on Sunday, won't we?" Kittle went on to say, "whatever you see on paper, sure," regarding the Eagles' toughness on the defensive side of the ball.
A few days after a 31-7 thrashing of the 49ers, Eagles cornerback Darius Slay revealed that Kittle's comments calling Philly's defense good "on paper" fueled the team to a dominant effort last Sunday.
"In the football world, we know how to take that. That's basically saying, not too physical," Slay said. "As a defense, us being one of the best defenses in the league as well, we took that as kind of disrespect. We said they're a great defense, a great team. They triggered us to go out there and play a lot harder and show who's physical."
Without a healthy Brock Purdy under center, the 49ers' offense struggled mightily in the NFC title game. Kittle couldn't fully get going and didn't impact the game much, catching three of four targets for 32 yards in the loss.
Meanwhile, Slay and the Eagles' defense held San Francisco to only 11 first downs, allowing a measly 164 yards of total offense while forcing three 49er turnovers.
For those curious, the Eagles and 49ers won't have to wait long to renew acquaintances. In 2023, the 49ers will make a trip back to Philadelphia for what promises to be a highly anticipated regular season matchup.
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