The Philadelphia Eagles are coming to town, and are not to happy after a tough overtime loss last weekend against the New York Giants. The 49ers are coming off a solid win against the St Louis Rams and they are looking to carry that momentum into this week's game. Both teams are starting off the 2006 rather well. Donovan McNabb is looking like his old self and they no longer have the T.O. drama to deal with. On the other side the 49ers offense is alive and the trio of Smith, Bryant, and Gore are causing defensive coordinators to lose sleep at night. Here are some of the things to look for when the 49ers face-off against the Eagles.
When the 49ers have the ball: The 49ers will continue to pound the rock with running-back Frank Gore who is coming off a career high in rushing. The Eagles held Tiki Barber last weekend to only 50 yards rushing, but they will be without star defensive end Jevon Kearse who is out for the season, and after the Giants got down early Tiki was taken out of the equation. Still look for the Eagles to stack eight in the box, forcing Alex Smith to beat them with his arm. Which if that happens is fine considering Gore has shown he can handle the load, and Smith is much better this season, his passer rating of 93.5 proves that. Also the Eagles are thin in the secondary. The Eagles will have to find a way to contain Antonio Bryant, so far through two games both opponents have failed to do so and Bryant is averaging 30.6 yards per reception. Look for the Eagles to double team Bryant which should open the middle where tight ends Vernon Davis and Eric Johnson will finally factor in.
When the Eagles have the ball: The Eagles are so far better than last season, they are moving the ball well and McNabb has found a new go to guy in Donte Stallworth. Latest reports show Brian Westbrook as questionable, so the running game will take a hit if he doesn't play, even if he does get on the field he'll not be 100 percent, and the 49ers defense has shown it can handle the run. The Eagles will have to win through the air, Reggie Brown, Donte Stallworth and LJ Smith will be McNabb's weapons. If the 49ers secondary can perform like they did against the Rams and the front seven can pressure McNabb the 49ers should win this game. The area that is a concern is if they do pressure McNabb and force him to run he'll get his yards and find the open man.
Key Matchup: 49ers offensive line vs Eagles front seven: The Eagles had eight sacks against the Giants. The 49ers should see lots of blitzing, but the loss of Kearse hurts the Eagles.
Key Injuries:
49ers: Larry Allen - Out, Jonas Jennings - Questionable
Eagles: Jevon Kearse - Out, LJ SMith - Questionable, Reggie Brown - Probable, Lito Sheppard - Out, Roderick Hood - Questionable.
Quote to Note: "Bryant is big-play guy. We have to make sure that he doesn't get those big plays that he's been getting," Eagles safety Brian Dawkins said. "Gore has been doing some big things as well. There are a couple of weapons on that team, but to we want to stop the run and not allow Bryant to get those big plays. They've been able to stay in some of these games and win this last game because of his play-making ability." - Brian Dawkins
Did you Know: 49ers lead the series 17-8-1. The last meeting between the two in San Francisco, the Eagles won 38-17. This is the first game since being let go that Jeff Garcia comes back to San Francisco.
Prediction: 49ers 27 - Eagles 24
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