The Philadelphia Eagles weren’t necessarily having a nice night in San Francisco to wrap up their fourth week of Sunday, but they actually got the job done. Despite a tough start, in which Carson Wentz threw his seventh interception in just four matches, plus a late push by CJ Beatard, who took charge of struggling Nick Mullins at the head of Kyle Shanahan’s attack, Philadelphia stepped up when it mattered. Working with a temporary support team, Wintz delivered a perfect fourth-quarter touchdown to put the Eagles ahead, while the Birds’ defense broke a series of irresistible three-man matches against Mullins, resulting in a 25-20 win.
With the win, the first of the 2020 season in which the Eagles suffered injuries and spinning, Philly jumps to an unlikely first place in the heartbreaking NFC East. Meanwhile, the Niners fell to 0.500 in a NFC West competition that also saw the Arizona Cardinals lose on Sunday.
Here are some instant quick points from the much-needed disruption of Eagles in San Francisco:
Why did the Eagles win?
Carson Wentz finally got to play with the coaching teams? Number 11 wasn’t perfect on Sunday night, as an early pass fell into the hands of the Niners and a few others knocked out, but as in late 2019, he also thrived when it was really important alongside a temporary support team. With Greg Ward, John Hitor, and team scouts Travis Fulgam and Deontay Burnett active extensively, Wintz did enough with his arms and legs, most notably the TD’s perfect deep ball float to Fulgam in the fourth quarter. (Incidentally, Fulgham may be the best Eagles playlist this season.)
However, Jim Schwartz’s defense deserves just as much, if not more, credit for the win. The midfielders were pretty terrible in their defense of George Keitel and the Gry Niners game, but the Four Frontiers dominated most of the night, putting Nick Mullins under duress (and ultimately on the bench) and putting up three takeaways that injected tons. Life in Philly.
Why did the 49ers lose
Nick Mullins might have impressively turned Jimmy Garoppolo against Giants, but Against Vultures with pressure in his face, it was an entirely different story. Kyle Shanahan did a good job planning quick strikes and run-down moves early in the Sunday Night contest, but whenever Mullins backs and doesn’t find Kettle, things get ugly. CJ Beatard looked sharp and relaxed the last few minutes after taking charge, but that was too little and too late. Speaking of the running game, Shanahan could probably turn into Jerek McKinnon with one touch all evening long.
On the other side of the ball, San Francisco wasn’t that bad, especially given the injury report. But maybe they should have had more heat on Wentz, who was playing behind the almost fully spare O streak. Meanwhile, in high school, they kept the Eagles’ goals in front of them almost all night – except for one of the match’s most important points, when Wentz Fulgam found that huge score in the fourth quarter.
turning point
In third and tenth places, the Niners Ball is alone 45, with San Francisco only ten minutes ahead of the clock. Just down one first would have allowed the 49ers to keep milking the clock and pushing back their advance. Instead, Mullins grabbed the ball with no one open, and Eagles appeared in the corner as Cree von LeBlanc, who came hot in a rare attack from Jim Schwartz, jutted the ball straight from his hands into the arms of his fellow-waiting. This spin triggered the starting signal for Philly and fully restored momentum in favor of visitors, with the Eagles also picking Mullens from the next San Francisco drive.
Play the game
In a match that was low-scoring until fourth, with some filthy humiliation on both sides, Wentz’s beauty of side-touching TD to Fulgham was the highlight of the night:
What’s Next
The Eagles (1-2-1) will face another difficult task in Week 5, when they travel to face the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0), who will also leave in an early farewell week thanks to their postponed match against the Titans. . Meanwhile, the 49ers (2-2) will stay home to host the Miami Dolphins (1-3), who failed against the unbeaten Seahawks in Week 4.
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