Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
, like so many fans, wonders how the NFC Championship Game might have turned out had the San Francisco 49ers not lost their third- and fourth-string quarterbacks—the only two available—to injuries in the game. Rookie
Brock Purdy suffered a torn UCL in the first quarter and could not throw the football. His backup, Josh Johnson, exited in the third quarter due to a concussion.
Aiyuk has little doubt that if Purdy had never suffered his injury, it might have been the 49ers, not the Philadelphia Eagles, preparing for Super Bowl 57.
"
We literally just played a football game for pretty much a half a football with no quarterback," Aiyuk shared this week with Brad Graham of TheSFNiners. "It's the craziest thing. … We have a talented football team. We have, hands down, the best football team in the league. Hands down. Hands down. I'm not even about to argue with anybody who thinks they should argue that."
Aiyuk believes the Eagles got lucky. He feels their game plan would have been able to take advantage of Philadelphia's weaknesses. The 49ers just never had a chance to prove it.
"They talk about them being a good defense. I'm not sure," Aiyuk told Graham. "I think the pass game, this Kansas City pass game, will expose what we thought we were going to be able to expose before some unfortunate circumstances happened. So we'll see. But like I said, you got to get lucky to win the Super Bowl, and they just got extremely lucky last week."
Philadelphia did win, though. That is the reality. Eagles cornerback Darius Slay is more concerned with what did happen than what could have been and feels luck had little to do with the outcome of the NFC Championship Game.
"We've had the No. 1 defense in the passing game for, I think, almost the whole year," Slay said, speaking with the media and responding to a question about Aiyuk's comments on Monday during the Super Bowl Opening Night in Arizona. "I don't know. That was weird. Yes, bad sportsmanship. Bad."
A follow-up comment pointed out that Aiyuk was likely suggesting that the 49ers lacked an opportunity to play their style of football for four quarters.
"What kind of chance they gonna get? The first time they dropped back, we're going to break their quarterback—both of them. So I don't know what chance they would've got. But shout out to him."
What outcome does Aiyuk predict for Super Bowl 57 on Sunday? The receiver made his prediction, admitting that he understands the game features the Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, and he and his 49ers will be watching (those who choose to watch) from their couches.
"Hypothetically speaking, if I were going to bet on this game, I would take everything that I own, get it in cash, and put my money on the Kansas City Chiefs," Aiyuk said. "… I got the Chiefs. I think the Chiefs—I just, I don't know. I just think Philly, they got their hands full. I don't know fully about that defense. I don't know. They talk about them being a good defense. I'm not too sure."
Aiyuk believes the Chiefs will find a way to expose what the 49ers had hoped to expose in the Eagles.
"I think the pass game, this Kansas City pass game, will expose what we thought we were going to be able to expose before some unfortunate circumstances happened," Aiyuk said. "So we'll see. But like I said, you gotta get lucky to win a Super Bowl. And they just got
extremely lucky last week, so who's to say they can't do it twice? Like I said, I'm not going to speak too much on it. Shout out to those teams. They're the last two teams standing. Everybody knows how hard it is to do that, so shout out to them."
One 49ers player who won't be watching is defensive end
Nick Bosa. Last week, when asked about the Jalen Hurts versus Patrick Mahomes matchup, the pass rusher responded, "That will be a good battle that I will not be watching."
Related News
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters after the team's 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. He provided injury updates from the game.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was in and out of the game due to a left shoulder injury. A reporter asked if the coach was concerned that the injury could be serious.
"I wouldn't think so," Shanahan responded. "I mean, I know he was hurting a little bit, but he was able to play through it, so I think I'll be all right."
The coach mentioned two other players in his post-game injury report.
"[CB Ambry] Thomas, he had a knee," Shanahan said. "He was in and out. After that, [CB Deommodore
The San Francisco 49ers have three days to prepare for their next opponent. For players, that work will begin on Tuesday. They have Monday off. It will be a quick turnaround for head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad, which will host the New York Giants on Thursday night at Levi's Stadium.
On Sunday, Brandon Aiyuk was in and out of the lineup against the Los Angeles Rams. The wide receiver suffered a shoulder injury. For now, Shanahan doesn't sound too concerned. Of course, the head coach is awaiting more information on his star player.
Shanahan spoke with reporters on Monday morning, likely getting his typical day-after-a-game conference call out of the way earlier than usual so he can return to preparing a game plan for the Giants. The coach was asked about Aiyuk's
The San Francisco 49ers are preparing for their Week 3 contest against the New York Giants on Thursday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The team did not practice on Monday. Players have the day off. However, the 49ers did release a report that revealed the status of players—had there been a practice.
There are a couple of situations to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's game. Brandon Aiyuk is dealing with a shoulder injury that the wide receiver sustained on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. His Week 3 status remains unclear.
RELATED: Brandon Aiyuk's status vs. Giants remains unclear as 49ers face short
The San Francisco 49ers are holding two walkthroughs today, lighter work than a typical practice. The team did not practice on Monday, a day off for players, but estimated that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk would not have participated had there been any on-field work.
Aiyuk and cornerback Ambry Thomas will be limited in today's sessions. The team is preparing for Thursday night's game against the New York Giants at Levi's Stadium.
On Sunday, Aiyuk was in and out of the lineup against the Los Angeles Rams. He suffered a shoulder injury on his first catch, a 13-yard reception during the 49ers' opening drive.
Aiyuk finished the game with three catches for 43 yards on six targets. The coach added that the receiver's status for Thursday will depend on the
