By Scooter_McG
The 49ers travel to Philadelphia in week 2 to complete the second leg of their East Coast trip to start the season. Both teams are coming off week 1 victories, defeating teams that many pundits consider to be bottom of the league rosters in the Lions and Falcons. Heading into week 2, the Eagles victory (32-6) looks the more impressive having shut the Falcons out the entire second half and steadily accumulating points throughout the game. The 49ers on the other hand led 38-10 and 41-17 at various points in the second half, but allowed the Lions to mount a furious comeback with some soft defense and silly handling errors while losing two key players for the season.
However, it shouldn't be overlooked that the 49ers were in cruise control for most of the second half of that game after dominating the second quarter. And the 49ers offense was able to consistently move the ball and score points throughout. The Eagles, on the other hand, relied heavily on their front four overwhelming the Falcons offense and on offense used a slew of short, easy passes to set up run after catch opportunities. The team was also helped by some critical plays called catches that looked like they could easily have gone the other way.
This is another game the 49ers really should win pretty comfortably if they play to their ability. Here are the key matchups I believe will determine the game.
49ers OL vs Eagles DL
There is no doubt the Eagles DL is the strength of their team. The interior of the DL in particular is a challenge for any offense, with the ever-excellent Fletcher Cox joined by Javon Hargraves and Hassan Ridgeway to provide constant pressure up the middle. They are joined by the perenially under-appreciated Brandon Graham at DE, who may not put up huge sack numbers but consistently has one of the highest pressure rates in the league. Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat are also no slouches on the edge.
The 49ers OL performed very well in week 1 but this will be a much more difficult matchup. Trent Williams can be relied on at LT, but Mike McGlinchey needs to play a clean game at RT and there will be a lot of pressure on Alex Mack to have the interior of the OL on the same page and keeping the Eagles DTs at bay.
I expect the 49ers will once again look to the run game and play action to keep the DL from teeing off and make life a little easier for the OL in this one.
Keeping the Eagles DL relatively quiet will be essential to keeping the offense on track throughout the game and not letting this one become an arm wrestle.
49ers RAC vs Eagles Back 7
While the Eagles DL is a significant strength, the back 7 of the Eagles looks vulnerable. The 49ers got excellent production from the passing game against the Lions, led by Deebo and Kittle. However, with the danger of the Eagles front 4 I expect the 49ers will focus more heavily on stretching the Eagles horizontally than vertically in this one. Part of that will undoubtedly be through the run game, but look for a lot more completions underneath this week to let the 49ers offensive skill players use their natural run after catch ability to generate yards.
I expect the YAC Bros (Deebo, Kittle and Aiyuk) to all see a lot of quick passes in this one. And after a quiet week 1, I expect Aiyuk will see his number called a lot more often as Shanahan looks to quiet some of the "dog house" chatter of the past week.
If the Eagles do a good job of not allowing the 49ers receivers to get the ball in space this game will become a tough matchup.
49ers Defensive Discipline
Ooof, that run defense was pretty brutal last week. The interior DL got moved off the ball too easily, and the run fits from the back 7 was all over the shop. The 49ers need to fix these issues in a hurry or Miles Sanders and co will keep the Eagles offense on track throughout the afternoon.
It is also no secret that mobile QBs have been a bugbear of the 49ers in the past, and this week will be all about making sure Jalen doesn't Hurts them (yes, I went there). If the 49ers can keep Hurts in the pocket and not allow him to make many plays with his legs it will go a long way to shutting the Eagles offense down and take pressure off the 49ers injury depleted secondary. The 49ers pass rush should be good enough to harrass Hurts throughout the game so long as they don't allow him to escape the pocket, and Hurts has yet to show he can be a consistently accurate and reliable pocket passer.
Fulgham beat us last game against Johnson. Is Norman an upgrade?
ReplyDeleteI very much enjoyed that breakdown Scooter.
Thanks razor. The 49ers CBs, whoever they end up being, will definitely be a cause for concern in this one too. If the pass rush can't make life difficult for Hurts then the 49ers CBs could get exposed.
DeleteScooter,
ReplyDeleteNice article and breakdown....notwithstanding the typo on Miles Sanders. :)
I think Kyle Shanahan will look to setup long passes early to stretch the field, and then keep feeding the running game.
Another key will be how well we adapt to the weather & playing conditions in Philly. Good thing the temperature is in the low 80s. If we sustain another set of injuries to key players like Week 1, our season will be over before it started!
Heh, thanks for letting me know - I've fixed it. If that's the only error I'll be shocked.
DeleteI'll be interested to see how much Shanahan (and more importantly Jimmy G) looks to attack them deep. I'm sure they will include vertical routes to clear out defenders, and will look to take some shots, but my guess is the game plan is more focused on the run and shorter pass plays in space.
Nice breakdown.
ReplyDeleteFor me this game is about matchups.
I don’t think SF’s run defense will be as bad as it looked against Detroit... but I’m more worried about our slower, backup db’s being able to make sure tackles in space. If they can do that, they’ll likely neutralize the Eagles O.
Look for Kyle to try and take advantage of phillys linebackers. So expect Juice and the Rb’s to get some play in the passing game.
Oddly enough, I think you nailed the 49ers game plan, their offensive attack’s are likely to be very similar.
Scooter
ReplyDeleteOnce again, an excellent write up.
* IMO the key to the 9ers offense will be 2 things. 1) The pass protection of RT Mike McGlinchey and RG Daniel Brunskill, giving JG the time to take advantage of the Eagles D and find his receivers 2) Contain the Eagles QB Jalen Hurst. Make him try beating the 9ers by throwing over the middle.
* Assuming LDT von Kinlaw is healthy, the Run Defense should take away the Eagles run game and keep Hurst one dimensional Letting Bosa, Ford and the D line put pressure on Hurst and force him into an INT.
I also look for RB Elijah Mitchell and WR Brandon Aiyuk to get more reps and impact the game.