The 49ers shredded the Eagles defense. Here are our grades.
The Eagles were outdueled and overwhelmed on defense as the 49ers had six straight touchdown drives.
![Eagles linebacker Nicholas Morrow stops San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey in the second quarter.](https://www.inquirer.com/resizer/7ii3GjqppuA5Ul78mUWbUpjukkI=/760x507/smart/filters:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/DRK2JL6GTVHPRGMYFVRVPJN5II.jpg)
Instant grades on the Eagles’ performance in their 42-19 loss to the 49ers:
Quarterback: C-
Jalen Hurts didn’t necessarily perform poorly. But he failed to come up big in key spots and took a couple of bad sacks in the first half. He underthrew Quez Watkins on a deep pass that some thought warranted a pass interference penalty. Hurts did have some fine moments, once finding DeVonta Smith vs. a third-down blitz. He didn’t have a turnover and his stats looked fine on paper. But Hurts looked hesitant at times. He left in the fourth quarter and was evaluated for a concussion. Backup Marcus Mariota jumped in and completed a couple of passes and ran a few times before Hurts returned. The game was essentially over by that point.
Running back: D
The Eagles got virtually nothing going on the ground all game. They needed their running backs most in the second and third quarters, when they were still in the game, and D’Andre Swift and Kenneth Gainwell had little room to run. The pair, plus Boston Scott, finished with a combined 20 yards on nine carries for a paltry 2.2 yards per carry. Gainwell helped out some in the passing game and converted an opening-drive third down on a screen pass.
Receiver / tight end: C-
A.J. Brown got going early. Two of his slants converted third downs in the first half. The receiver took the first one 38 yards after he ran through safety Ji’Ayir Brown. He finished with eight catches for 114 yards. Smith was his equal and caught nine passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Some of their production was hollow and after the outcome had been decided. But Smith gained 21 yards on third-and-19 after breaking a tackle on a jailbreak screen in the second. Quez Watkins got his first start in some time and recorded his first catch since Week 5 on the first drive. The offense again couldn’t find a third option to account for tight end Dallas Goedert’s absence. Julio Jones, Olamide Zaccheaus, and Watkins ran a lot of routes, but they rarely saw the ball. The same could be said for the tight ends. Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra, and Albert Okwuegbunam combined for zero grabs. The good news for the unit: It looks like Goedert will be back next week at the Cowboys.
Offensive line: C-
The run game was nonexistent. The play-calling tilted toward the pass, especially after the Eagles got behind in the second half. But also because the 49ers defense was winning at the point of attack vs. the Eagles’ O-line. The pass protection was better. Lane Johnson bottled up dangerous edge rusher Nick Bosa for most of the game. It was another impressive performance from the right tackle after he missed last week with a groin injury. Left tackle Jordan Mailata seemed to keep Hurts’ blindside protected for the most part. Jason Kelce was again at the center of another Brotherly Shove touchdown by Hurts. Guards Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens helped keep Hurts clean for long stretches, but few deserved stars on this day.
Defensive line: C-
Haason Reddick picked up where he left off in the NFC championship win over the 49ers. He sacked Brock Purdy early and pressured the quarterback into several errant throws. But Reddick was kept quiet after the 49ers established the run game. Josh Sweat had two costly pre-snap penalties. He lined up in the neutral zone and negated an Eagles third-down stop in the red zone. And he jumped offsides in the red zone on the 49ers’ next touchdown-scoring possession. Fletcher Cox played despite missing practice all week with a groin injury. The veteran defensive tackle has now played in 195 of a possible 201 games, including the playoffs, in his career. Cox notched a sack in the third. Jalen Carter had a quiet day. The rookie defensive tackle was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the third. Jordan Davis batted a pass on the opening drive, but he’s in the middle of the line mostly to defend the run, and the 49ers’ O-line was able to seal him off on some runs up the middle. The Eagles’ second- and third-unit interior linemen — Milton Williams, Marlon Tuipulotu, and Moro Ojomo — hardly had their names called.
Linebacker: F
With Zach Cunningham out with a hamstring injury, Christian Elliss got the start opposite Nicholas Morrow. It took a little while, but Kyle Shanahan exploited the unit through the air. Morrow struggled in pass coverage for a second straight week. He appeared to be late in picking up tight end George Kittle out of the backfield on a 32-yard catch and run. And he was definitely the guilty party when Christian McCaffrey got behind him on a 33-yard wheel route. But his worst moment came when he failed to tackle Deebo Samuel on his 48-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the third. Elliss had his issues as well. He trailed Kittle on a 25-yard catch off play-action in the second. The off-ball linebackers contributed to early success in stopping the run. Elliss had a tackle for loss on Samuel in the first, but the 49ers found holes on the ground into the second level from the second quarter on.
Cornerback: D
With defensive coordinator Sean Desai relying on his zone coverages, Darius Slay gave a lot of cushion on throws that resulted in first downs. The most damaging was a 10-yard catch by receiver Brandon Aiyuk on third-and-7 in the third. The 49ers would go on to score a touchdown on the drive. James Bradberry was far from Samuel’s description of the cornerback as “trash.” With Shanahan and Purdy focused on the middle of the field, the veteran didn’t see many passes come his way. Bradley Roby seemed solid in the slot, but the cornerback missed an open-field tackle on Purdy in the second. Rookie Eli Ricks was the sixth defensive back in the small dime package. He lost receiver Jauan Jennings on a third-down conversion to open the second half.
Safety: D
Reed Blankenship was victimized by the 49ers’ motion at the snap and allowed Aiyuk to score the 49ers’ first touchdown. He was often the last line of defense on several 10-plus-yard rushes by McCaffrey. Kevin Byard spent a little more time in the post than normal. He didn’t allow a catch over the secondary, but he didn’t make many standout plays either. Sydney Brown played a quasi-linebacker role in the Eagles’ big dime package. He had a nice run stop on McCaffrey for no gain in the first.
Special teams: C
Punter Braden Mann was one of the lone Eagles to have a strong day. He netted 49.7 yards on three punts. Jake Elliott kicked a couple of short field goals early when the Eagles failed in the red zone. Scott had a couple of decent kick returns. Britain Covey was contained in the punt-return game. Ben VanSumeren had a punt-cover tackle that kept a return to just 3 yards.
Coaching: D
Nick Sirianni didn’t have a good time. It may sound like 20-20 hindsight, but his decision to punt on fourth-and-2 on the Eagles 33 — down 15 points — late in the third quarter came back to haunt him. But mostly the loss was a long time coming for a team that hasn’t been sharp. The Eagles weren’t likely to go 16-1. A loss to a really good 49ers team isn’t the end of the world. But if they lose at the Cowboys next week, the No. 1 seed in the playoffs could end up slipping away. Desai isn’t responsible for the linebacker personnel, but he didn’t have the right answers and was outdueled by Shanahan. Offensive coordinator Brian Johnson never got into a rhythm with his play calling.