San Francisco 49ers: 4 Important Numbers from Week 4
4 – Amount of Eagles Turnovers
Sep 28, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers surround defensive end
Justin Smith(94) after putting pressure on Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (not pictured) resulting in an interception during the third quarter at Levi
Both teams played sloppy games on Sunday. Flags were a problem again, but that ailment plagued the Eagles as well as the 49ers this week. But the big difference in the game was turnovers. The Eagles gave the ball away four times while the 49ers limited those mistakes to just one giveaway.
Foles was intercepted twice, once each by Perrish Cox and Antoine Bethea. These two combined for another turnover, as Bethea forced Eagles tight end Zach Ertz to cough up the ball, which landed right in the waiting hands of Cox. These two defensive backs played extremely well on Sunday, and were a big reason the 49ers were so successful.
Okay guys I wanna hear your #49ers players of the game. I got Cox and Bethea! Who do you have?
— Golden Gate Sports (@goldenbaysports) September 28, 2014
The fourth turnover came following a long completion, as Chris Culliver forced the ball free from Riley Cooper. Justin Smith would pick up the loose ball, completing the play and the turnover.
When a team has a +3 turnover differential in a single game, it’s a good indicator of how well the defense has played. The defense played their best game of the year so far, completely shutting down a very good offense. If the 49ers can just get their penalty problem under control, this could be a very scary team.