James Bradberry, Eagles pass on war of words ahead of 49ers rematch

Much as head coach Nick Sirianni tried to paint Sunday’s showdown between the Eagles and San Francisco 49ers as just another game between two good teams, the players knew better.

Their NFC title game last January was all but over when the 49ers ran their sixth play, Eagles pass rusher Haason Reddick turning the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in Brock Purdy’s right elbow into garbage. Purdy, already the backup in for the injured Jimmy Garoppolo, needed surgery to repair the ligament.

Except for a very brief 7-7 tie, the Eagles put the pedal to the metal in a 31-7 success, catapulting them into the Super Bowl.

Watching 36-year-old backup quarterback Josh Johnson try to get first downs was so ugly that the NFL changed the rules to allow teams to dress a third quarterback for emergency situations this season.

The loss was so damaging that various 49ers leaders including Deebo Samuel insisted they were better team, much to the chagrin of the Eagles. Samuel called Eagles cornerback James Bradberry “trash.”

“Of course, I don’t necessarily like what he said,” Bradberry said Wednesday. “Wish he would’ve used a better word to describe my play, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, all I can control is my work ethic and what we do out there.”

Purdy is healthy, and so is basically the rest of the 49ers, except for safety Talanoa Hufanga (torn ACL). It’s do-or-die time if the Niners (8-3) want to have any chance of securing the No. 1 seed over the league-leading Eagles (10-1).

Also insulting is that the Eagles are 2.5-point underdogs with league MVP runner-up Jalen Hurts taking on alleged MVP candidate Brock Purdy and his NFL-best 112.3 passer rating.

“Again, not going to get wrapped into what anybody else thinks of us,” Sirianni said. “Whether that’s another team, whether that’s who makes the spreads. We just worry about going to work now. But you know, going into last year and the year before that nobody really thought we would be any good. I think it’s OK to be the underdog. ... Before I ever stepped foot in the city all I knew about this city was Rocky versus Apollo Creed, and the city plays the underdog well.”

The Eagles rushed for 148 yards and four touchdowns in the NFC championship game, Hurts completing 15 passes worth 121 yards. The Eagles sacked Niners quarterbacks three times and pressured them more than double that, though that unit lost Javon Hargrave to free agency to the 49ers. The Niners also traded for Commanders pass rusher Chase Young.

The Eagles’ defense that played a ridiculous 95 snaps last week and 79 the previous week, both game-high totals, could be a bit winded. The 49ers haven’t played since last Thursday.

Bradberry isn’t much of a trash talker, good news for a defense that needs to fully focus. Only three teams give up more passing yardage than the Eagles (255.7 per game), who last week were scorched by Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills but found a way to prevail in overtime.

Purdy has completed 70 percent of his attempts and has a passer rating of 120.3 on first down, tops in the league. Brandon Aiyuk has averaged 19.6 yards on 45 receptions, best in the league. Aiyuk has gained 20 or more yards on 19 of his 45 receptions. Tight end George Kittle, running back Christian McCaffrey and of course Samuel also must be dealt with.

That doesn’t leave much time for talking smack.

“It’s never been part of, I would say my personality or my game, to try to say things in the media to get another team riled up or just express all my thoughts,” Bradberry said. “I try to keep everything generic and just go out there and handle my business when it comes down to playing the game. It’s a conference opponent, and they’re a great team. It’s going to be a physical game because they’re a physical team and I feel like we’re a physical team as well. Some people might start saying things, I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see on Sunday.”

As for the underdog status, right now it’s a blessing for the Eagles.

“I’d rather it be that way because we ain’t done nothing yet,” Brandon Graham said. “We haven’t even put together a full game, yet but I do know what we do have and what we need to get better in. I know for this week we’re going to make sure we keep getting better at the stuff we’re not as good at or polished on and stay sharp on the things we are.

“We’re 10-1 but that doesn’t mean anything because we don’t hold that ring. I love how we fight. That’s one thing we have going for ourselves, but we have to make sure we stay together and stay with the mindset of execution. That’s really how you win these games, is who can execute the longest.”