Tag: 49ers eagles

The Jalen Hurts narrative is getting a little ridiculous

The negative narrative regarding Jalen Hurts has gone out of control, and NFL Network’s David Carr is the latest to sign his name to it.

Following a brutal loss to the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles and quarterback Jalen Hurts have faced an absurd amount of criticism and backlash for their performance in that game. While no, Hurts and the gang did not show off their best football against an elite team, some of the feedback in the media has reached the peak, of what I can only assume is clickbait and overreaction.

The biggest such offense of this reactionary content comes from NFL Network analyst David Carr, who while usually being a reliable source of credible football analysis, said the following on Tuesday;

“Clearly, Jalen isn’t comfortable reading through a defense in a drop-back pass scenario, some would say he’s not even good at it. And I think that when you look at this team, you have to have a serious conversation if you’re Philly. And you have to really say, ‘Is it better for us to play Marcus Mariota right now and let Jalen get fully healthy?’ Because I would argue that it does not matter if they’re the number one seed. Because if the 49ers come into Philly again, they do not care.”

It’s fair to argue that Hurts has been a bit cold and it could be due to injury, but to suggest he is playing at a level in which he should be rested or outright benched is a stretch. Hurts even if he is at 75% is still one of the most gifted quarterbacks in the league, which includes as a passer. We have seen even in recent weeks surgical execution of drives by Hurts, routinely leading an albeit talented squad up and down the field.

Last we saw of Marcus Mariota was his stint as a starter last season, one in which his arm looked all but cooked when attempting to push the ball down the field. While Mariota is certainly a serviceable backup and can operate within this Philadelphia offense especially with a dangerous set of wheels, Nick Sirriani would be a fool to pull the plug on Hurts for any reason beyond critical failure.

Let’s maybe hold off on such rash overreactions from one game. Hurts has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league on one of the best teams and up until this point was not questioned on his play. There could be so many different layers of factors to why Hurts stumbled last week, up to and including “just having an off day”. It’s unlikely at any point in the future Hurts will be benched, and it is more likely that he may walk away with a MVP trophy at the end of the year.

The All-22: How the 49ers overcame a brutal start to demolish the Eagles’ defense

The Eagles had the 49ers’ offense on the ropes… and then, they REALLY didn’t. An all-22 appreciation of Kyle Shanahan’s coaching dominance.

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In their first two drives against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers gained a total of minus-6 yards on two three-and-outs. It was the worst blip of the team’s time under Kyle Shanahan, who’s been San Francisco’s head coach since 2017.

Then, on their next six drives, the 49ers scored six straight touchdowns, pummeling the Eagles, 42-19, in what was supposed to be the matchup of the regular season, and turned out to be yet another Shanahan master class.

Clearly, the Eagles and defensive coordinator Sean Desai wanted to take away San Francisco’s passing game between the seams. And in the end, Shanahan had no problem with that. While Philly was defending the spine of the field, the 49ers simply went nuts either to the perimeter, or with concepts that took Desai’s defense out of their elements.

“Outside those first two drives, it’s like that’s the Niner football that we know,” Sa Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy said after the game. “That’s the offense that we know. Everyone’s doing their part, everything’s clicking obviously, some great play calls, and then everyone just makes plays and does it the right way. We protect the ball, defense does their job, that felt good. And that’s what we’re always trying to do. That’s the standard that we know and that’s the standard that we’ve set over the years. That’s what we expect out of ourselves.”

And here’s how it looked on the field.

49ers injury update: 2 banged up in win over Eagles

The #49ers suffered 2 injuries vs. the Eagles.

The 49ers got out of Philadelphia with a 42-19 win, but they did suffer a couple injuries in the contest.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan after the game in his press conference said defensive lineman Arik Armstead hurt his foot and had to leave the game. Tight end Ross Dwelley also left the game with an ankle injury.

Armstead was dealing with a foot injury going into the game. It’s unclear whether he aggravated that ailment or sustained a new injury. His absence opened the door for DL Kalia Davis and DL Kevin Givens to play more down the stretch.

Shanahan will speak with reporters Monday where he should have more information on the injury situation.

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Anatomy of a Play: Brock Purdy’s ridiculous touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk

Brock Purdy’s 28-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk against the Seahawks showed a veteran’s understanding of the nuances of quarterback play.

The San Francisco 49ers have more weapons on offense than some teams would know what to do with. When you have George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Christian McCaffrey on the field at the same time, and Kyle Shanahan calling the plays, that’s a spicy meatball for any defense.

But with all those weapons, we may be giving Brandon Aiyuk short shrift. The fourth-year first-round pick from Arizona State has become a major factor — he leads the team in targets with 63, only Kittle (46) has more receptions than Aiyuk’s 45, he leads the team in receiving yards with 881, and he’s tied with Kittle for the team’s most touchdown receptions with five.

One of those touchdowns came against the Seattle Seahawks on Thanksgiving night, and it was a fascinating look into how well quarterback Brock Purdy is playing, and how solid his connection with Aiyuk is.

With 7:59 left in the fourth quarter, the 49ers had second-and-7 at the Seattle 28-yard line. At the snap, Purdy read the play from left to right against the Seahawks’ Cover-3 defense. The first read was to fullback Kyle Juszczyk to the left flat out of motion, the second was to Kittle on the deep post, and the third was to Aiyuk on a post that was affected by cornerback Devon Witherspoon.

The nuances of the play were impressive. Purdy ran short boot-action, drifting to his left, as he made the reads. The Seahawks showed a two-high look presnap, but dropped into single-high as safety Quandre Diggs came down to the second level, and linebacker Bobby Wagner dropped into coverage on Kittle. Diggs, Wagner, and safety Julian Love had Kittle boxed in, and Purdy saw that as he dropped to throw. So, the big pay was to Aiyuk, but Purdy had to wait that out, and he had to trust Aiyuk to be where the throw was before Aiyuk even bent the route — which is when he threw the ball.

Add in the fact that Purdy had to short-hop the throw because pressure was coming, and the fact that he hit Aiyuk right on the hands with Witherspoon and Love tightly converging was something else.

“I have all the confidence in the world in B.A.,” Purdy said a couple of days before San Francisco’s31-13 blowout win. “You watch the film, the separation that he creates, you get the ball in his hands, obviously the second gear that he has to pull away from DBs or whoever’s on the field. He does it all. And I think he’s just one of the most underrated receivers I think in the NFL. We have so many playmakers, like Kittle, McCaffrey, and Deebo , but B.A. and what he’s done in his production as a receiver, he’s got it. And so, I have all the confidence in the world in him and he’s always where he needs to be. As a quarterback, that’s all you could ask for.”

Purdy’s sense of anticipation — he already has a veteran’s understanding of how routes will break — has not been lost on his receivers. Aiyuk in particular has said that Purdy just understands what routes he’s going to run. That sounds simple, but if you watch enough bad quarterbacking, you’ll know that it isn’t.

“I know people say this all the time, but it’s just reps on reps,” Purdy said. Practice. It started out I think in camp for us when I got back it was just studying how B.A. runs, how he breaks in and out of breaks. He is different from Deebo, he is different from George. And so, sort of just taking note of that. And then B.A.’s just got length, man, he’s got range. And so, I know where he can get to and where I shouldn’t throw the ball and where he’s not going to be. And then obviously the games and stuff and the experience that we had last year together, we’ve built on that, I feel like. But, throwing with anticipation is huge for me. And so, he understands that. And when I let the ball go, he gets to where he needs to be, and we’ve made it happen.”

They’ve made it happen all season long, they made it happen against the Seahawks, and they’ll try to make it happen again on Sunday when the 8-3 49ers take on the 10-1 Philadelphia Eagles in what might be the game of the year so far.

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys detail this play, and discuss Purdy’s maturation into a top-tier processor.

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You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os,” featuring all of Week 13’s biggest NFL matchups, right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Defensive eye discipline could be decisive for 49ers in NFC championship game

Eye discipline will determine whether the 49ers’ defense can slow down the Eagles’ offense. (Via @nicholasmcgee24)

The 49ers’ win over the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round of the playoffs was one born largely of their defensive players’ ability to read the game, which will come under even greater scrutiny on Sunday as the Niners look to return to the Super Bowl with victory over the Eagles in the NFC championship game.

San Francisco’s defense limited Dallas to just 12 points last Sunday in a game in which its back seven enjoyed one of its finest performances of what has been a tremendous season for DeMeco Ryans’ unit.

Throughout an extremely stingy showing against the Cowboys, several key players on the 49er defense allowed San Francisco to excel on that side of the ball through their tremendous eye discipline and success in diagnosing the game.

One of the Niners’ stars in that regard last week was All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga, who has been regularly derided for busts in coverage in recent weeks, but produced a superb performance at the perfect time to help San Francisco into the conference championship.

Hufanga’s two highlight-reel plays were a pair of perfectly timed blitzes on which he burst into the Dallas backfield unblocked, with Dak Prescott somehow able to avoid a sack on both occasions.

Beyond those two pass rushes, however, Hufanga made a series of impressive plays in coverage as the Niners restricted the Cowboys’ aerial attack.

Hufanga displayed excellent route recognition and understanding of his responsibilities to prevent Prescott from connecting with Dalton Schultz on a route bending over the middle of the field. The second-year safety was extremely quick to trigger on the route, but was disciplined enough to not make contact with Schultz too early. 

While known for his aggressive playing style, Hufanga is a player who relies on film study and on his eyes to make the splash plays that have been a pre-eminent feature of his first full season as a starter.

Hufanga’s eye discipline was crucial to this stop against the Cowboys, on which he threatened a blitz before reading the play-fake between Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott and subsequently dropping into coverage and then finishing the play by getting downhill to stop Schultz after Prescott checked the ball down to his tight end.

Also pivotal to that play was linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who was not fooled by the backfield action and demonstrated his proficiency in coverage by immediately understanding his assignment and turning his hips to take away wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on the over route over the middle.

Overshadowed somewhat by All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner’s success in coverage against Lamb, Greenlaw was outstanding against the Cowboys, delivering a performance that would have been capped by a pick-six had he caught the ball after displaying excellent read-and-react ability on this short Prescott throw late in the fourth quarter.

The best example of the 49ers excelling on defense because of their personnel’s prowess for diagnosing the game came on Fred Warner’s red-zone interception. That pick was down predominantly to Jimmie Ward, who, understanding the wheel route to Schultz would be covered by Deommodore Lenoir with the Niners dropping to quarters, made no effort to follow the tight end into the flat and instead broke in front of the short throw to Lamb and tipped it into the grasp of Warner.

From Hufanga and Ward to Warner and Greenlaw, the 49ers were assignment sound for most of their narrow win over the Cowboys, combining their physical gifts with strong diagnostic skills to severely restrict Dallas’ avenues to big plays.

The problem the 49ers face in the NFC championship game is that the Eagles have significantly more avenues to big plays. Theirs is arguably the most diverse run game in the NFL, with the additional running threat posed by quarterback Jalen Hurts allowing Philadelphia to place doubt in the minds of second-level defenders when attempting to read the mesh point.

Indeed, the dual threats of Hurts and Miles Sanders enable the Eagles to stretch defenses horizontally with their backfield action, with the extra hesitation the former can force among defenders opening the RPO game and the screen game for Philadelphia and creating a plethora of easy buttons for the quarterback.

The 49ers cannot allow themselves to be paralyzed by that hesitation. However, they also cannot afford to consistently misdiagnose plays in the backfield against a Philadelphia offense that, in A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert, has the top-tier weapons to punish San Francisco downfield if the Niners’ linebackers and safeties are caught out of position because of the complexity of the Philadelphia attack.

San Francisco reached this position in part because of the discipline of a defense that can match opposing offenses in its complexity. That discipline must not be allowed to slip for the 49ers to pull off the upset and book their place at Super Bowl LVII.

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Javon Kinlaw on win vs. Eagles: ‘I think they folded before we did’

Javon Kinlaw summed up the #49ers win over the Eagles in a game that gives San Francisco some valuable experience.

The 49ers and Eagles’ Week 2 showdown was a heavyweight fight. It was 3-0 after one quarter, and 7-3 after three quarters. San Francisco eventually pulled away for a 17-11 win, and 49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw summed up how his team came away with the win.

“I think they folded before we did,” Kinlaw said. “And I didn’t think we were going to fold at all.”

Philadelphia was dominant early in the game, but the 49ers were the ones who eventually broke through despite a couple of close calls for the defense.

While it’s difficult to quantify whether a team folded, the evidence is in how the game finished. The 49ers posted 10 fourth-quarter points and held the Eagles to three consecutive punts to open the second half before a late touchdown made it a 17-11 game. Meanwhile on the other side of the ball, the 49ers offense finally got rolling and salted away the final 3:58 after having some trouble getting their rushing attack going in the early part of the game.

These games aren’t pretty, but they still count in the win column and could prove valuable down the stretch. The 49ers were in a hostile environment and in a heated battle with their opponent and eventually emerged victorious. That’s a playoff-type atmosphere and being able to pull out those wins could be key if San Francisco is playing tough games in the final weeks trying to secure a postseason berth.

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Everything we know in the immediate aftermath of a weird 49ers win

The #49ers shook off a slow start to beat the Eagles. Here’s what we know in the immediate aftermath of the win.

The 49ers couldn’t have started much slower in Philadelphia. They went three-and-out on the first three possessions and punted on their first four. They overcame it though to beat the Eagles and move to 2-0 on the season.

Here’s what we know:

Observations from 49ers’ Week 2 win over Eagles

It wasn’t pretty, but the #49ers got a big Week 2 win over the Eagles in Philadelphia. Our quarter-by-quarter observations from the victory:

It wasn’t pretty, but the 49ers got it done Sunday in Philadelphia where they knocked off the Eagles 17-11 at Lincoln Financial Field.

A slow start on offense was balanced out by some terrific defense from San Francisco early on and allowed the 49ers offense a chance to get in a rhythm.

These are our observations from throughout the game:

49ers inactives: Javon Kinlaw will play vs. Eagles

Javon Kinlaw, Arik Armstead and Trey Sermon will all play for the #49ers vs. the Eagles.

The San Francisco 49ers will have second-year defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He was not among the list of inactive players. Defensive tackle Arik Armstead is also going to suit up. Both Kinlaw and Armstead were ‘questionable’ on the team’s injury report.

Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, who was listed as ‘doubtful,’ will not play. Here are the rest of the inactives for San Francisco:

OL Aaron Banks
CB Emmanuel Moseley
CB Ambry Thomas
DL Zach Kerr

An interesting note is that four running backs will suit up, including rookie Trey Sermon who was a healthy scratch last week. Trenton Cannon, who was claimed off waivers from Baltimore, is also active.

Cornerback Josh Norman, a healthy scratch last week, is in the lineup and expected to start. Thomas, who struggled in Week 1 against Detroit, will not play as he continues to get his NFL legs under him.

Here’s who won’t play for the Eagles:

Behind Enemy Lines: Let’s get to know the Philadelphia Eagles

A #49ers-Eagles preview and prediction with The Eagles Wire.

The 49ers and Eagles enter their Week 2 matchup in much different places than they were when they met at Levi’s Stadium in Week 4 of last season.

We know all about what San Francisco’s offseason was like, but how different is Philly heading into Sunday’s matchup? We got some answers from our buddy Glenn Erby over at the Eagles Wire.