SFist Previews the 49ers-Eagles Game
After the first two games of the season, Niners fans are all giddy and glowing about things. They have the same look on their face one has when one finally hooks up with their obsessive infatuation and starts dreaming up whole relationships/trysts in their heads. But the problem with all this giddiness is that, well, said infatuation was also really, really, really drunk and pissed off because their obsessive infatuation blew them off. And no, we're not projecting. At all. What we mean is that while the Niners are 1-1 and played well even in their loss, their two opponents in those games were not exactly the top of the line in NFL teams. The Cardinals are the Cardinals, perpetually doomed to doormatness, and the Rams appear to be still trying to find their way in a post-Martz world.
So here comes to the 'Stick the big, bad Philelphia Iggles-- two years removed from the NFC Championship, four time division winner, and one epic fourth-quarter collapse from being 2-0. They have a great D, their physical, and their lead by one of the stars of the NFL, Campbell Soup's very own Donavan F. McNabb. All of which means that we'll be sure to discover more about the Niners this week than we did the previous two weeks. The truest way to determine just how a team measures up isn't how they do against bad teams, but against really good teams.
Last year, the Eagles KILLED the 49ers, losing 42-3 as Donavan threw five touchdown passes, two to T.O. Okay, granted, anything other than losing by 39 points again will be a vast improvement but considering how well the team looked the past couple of weeks, Niners fans should be expecting a competitive, hard-fought game. If it is, the Niners can legitimately claim to be up-and-coming. If not, the Niners will have to face the fact they just might not be as good as they are now thinking they are. In a way, it's not necessarily to win the game, but more important to lose well. Although a win would be super sweet.
This game could also be considered a measuring-stick game because how the Niners want to play the game is the kind of way that would beat the Eagles. The Eagles, offensively at least, are more finesse than physical, featuring high-percentage passes to everyone under the eligible-bound sun. Their running game, that mainly being slightly injured Brian Westbrook, isn't the grind 'em out kind of running game, one of the reasons why the Eagles lost to the Giants last week-- the Eagles needed the kind of running game that chews up the clock and the yards but don't have that kind of running game. A physical D can offset Westbrook, force Donavan to take more chances, and throw their offense off.
Defensively, the Eagles are the opposite-- physical and blitz happy. The way to beat physical and blitz happy teams? Be more physical back. This means your most important Niner is Frank Gore. If Gore can keep up running the way he has and the Niners are able to establish the run, they can make a game of it. If Gore can't go, it'll mean Smith has to help him out and that plays right into the Eagles strength. Of course, this pretty much sums up the Niners strategy anyways-- let Gore run and don't really on Smith just yet-- but it's easy to do against the Cardinals, not so easy to do against Philly.
One thing in San Francisco's favor is the Eagles are already banged up. Jevon Kearse, their best D lineman, is out for the season and Westbrook is a little injured too. But the Eagles lost last week at home in all sorts of bad ways and are probably looking to take their frustrations out one someone.
In other words, expect a real physical, emotional game with a big-game feel. For the first time in awhile, a Niners game is Must See.