San Francisco 49ers: The Good And Bad In Blowout Loss To Eagles
The San Francisco 49ers lost to the Eagles in Philadelphia, dropping their record to a less than stellar 0-8 on the year.
The San Francisco 49ers have dropped to 0-8 to start the season, officially making it the worst start in franchise history. If there’s any solace to take, it’s that the lost to Philadelphia Eagles, now 7-1, and owners of the best record in the league.
The final score of 33-10 marked the second straight game in which the Niners offense generated just 10 points and continued the season-long trend of poor offensive showings.
It’s just not good enough. The negatives of this latest loss heavily outweigh the positives yet again. But, let’s start with those positives that can be taken away from this game.
Positives
In reality, there was absolutely nothing to take away that should be celebrated.
However, there were some players who made standout plays that at least deserve some recognition.
The defense looked much improved over the unit’s showing last week. And, it’s also important to note that second year cornerback Rashard Robinson was benched in favor of rookie Ahkello Witherspoon.
Witherspoon responded by grabbing his first career interception in the third quarter against the Eagles, which set the San Francisco 49ers offense up at Philadelphia’s 21-yard line.
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On the ensuing drive, C.J. Beathard threw a second-down shovel pass to Matt Breida who ran in a 21-yard touchdown. It was Breida’s first career touchdown.
Defensive lineman Leger Douzable also recorded two sacks, which ties him with rookie Solomon Thomas for second on the team in that category. It’s important to note that Douzable has been with the team for less than two weeks.
Excluding one interception returned for a touchdown, the Niners defense only allowed 26 points. They held the Eagles to 4-14 on third downs, and also had the one pick on Wentz.
The run defense improved as well, allowing just 3.6 yards per rush. If the offense had stepped up their game, it very well may have made the match more interesting.
Negatives
There was plenty of negatives to talk about after a game as lopsided as this one.
The San Francisco offense was one of them. C.J. Beathard threw for 167 yards (17-36 completions), one touchdown and two interceptions. Making matters worse was that one of Beathard’s interceptions was returned for a score.
The 49ers run game had more than a few concerns too, but with an extremely banged up offensive line and facing the number one ranked rushing defense, it was understandable.
Beathard led the team with 40 yards on the ground. Carlos Hyde had 25 yards on 12 carries, Breida rushed for 17 yards on five carries and fullback Kyle Juszczyk had a 12-yard rush.
San Francisco’s pass catchers dropped ball after ball and mustered just 14 first downs on their 14 possessions for the game.
Another immense negative was the absurd amount of injuries the 49ers suffered in this game.
Jimmie Ward left early with a forearm injury, which we later found out was a broken forearm. Defensive linemen Thomas and D.J. Jones also left with injuries.
On offense, Joe Staley left early and was out for the game, suffering a broken orbital bone after a vicious hit by Fletcher Cox. Garry Gilliam, the replacement at right tackle for injured Trent Brown, also left the game early.
And receiver Pierre Garcon was also forced out of the game with a neck injury.
Depending on the severity of these injuries, expect more transactions to fill the gaps left behind.
The 49ers play the Arizona Cardinals in Week Nine, one of the few remaining games they actually might be able to win.