Opponent Preview: Eagles Fly West As Chip Kelly And Jim Harbaugh Meet Again
By Kevin McGuire
After another gut check performance to improve to 3-0, the Philadelphia Eagles pack their bags and head out to the west coast for a game with the San Francisco 49ers. The Eagles should expect the Niners to put up a good fight after dropping a game in week three to slump out to a 1-2 start to the season. And don’t forget, Chip Kelly and Jim Harbaugh have some history as opposing coaches dating back to their time in the Pac-10.
Season Record
San Francisco dropped its second straight game on Sunday, with a loss on the road against NFC West rival Arizona. The 23-14 setback in Arizona dropped the 49ers to 1-2 this season. The lone win came in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys. The Niners have played just one home game in their new stadium, Levi’s Stadium, and it turned out to be a come-from-ahead loss to the Chicago Bears on a Monday night.
San Francisco leads the all-time series with the Eagles, 18-12-1. The Niners scored a 24-23 win in 2011 in Philadelphia, which snapped Philadelphia’s five-game winning streak against the 49ers. The Eagles have won four straight games in the Niners’ building dating back to 2002, but this will be the first game Philadelphia has played in the brand new Levi’s Stadium.
49ers on Offense
The 49ers have struggled to get the offense going for the most part this season. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been erratic at times and has had to be one of the team’s top running threats. Kaepernick has led the Niners in rushing each of the past two games while Frank Gore has been limited with his production against Arizona and Chicago. Despite some early results that have been less than expected, the Niners are a threat to make some big plays at any time with receivers like Stevie Johnson and Michael Crabtree, as well as the veteran Anquan Boldin. With the Eagles coming off a grueling performance on defense against Washington it is clear San Francisco should have the personnel to give Philadelphia some trouble on defense.
49ers on Defense
The San Francisco defense has been strong in recent seasons but it may not be quite up to the same level in the early going this season The defense has not been able to slam the door shut on opponents in the second half each of the past two weeks, with Chicago scoring 21 fourth-quarter points for a win in Week 2 and Arizona scoring 17 second-half points for a win in Week 3. This sounds as though it should favor the Eagles, who have proven to be a good second-half team in each of the first three games played this season. Through three games the Niners have recorded six sacks. With the Eagles facing plenty of concerns on the offensive line, the Niners should be expected to find some weaknesses to bring pressure on Nick Foles with regularity.
Niners Players to Watch
Running Back, Carlos Hyde: Everybody knows about Kaepernick and Frank Gore, but most Eagles fans may be unfamiliar with one of the younger contributors to the Niners offense. Rookie Carlos Hyde should be able to fill a role on the San Francisco offense this season, and the team is already starting to work him into the flow. Hyde is a physical running back who never stops using his legs to his advantage. Just check out this run against Iowa last year by Hyde to see how he keeps his balance.
Linebacker Patrick Willis: The 49ers have one of the better linebackers in the nation with Patrick Willis leading the way. Against Arizona, Willis led the team with six total tackles, including five solo tackles. He can also bring pressure on the quarterback as well, having recorded two quarterback hits in the most recent game this weekend.
Outlook
Nothing has come easy for the Eagles, and this game on the road against the 49ers should be another tough battle. The 49ers may not be in desperation mode but after two losses Jim Harbaugh will be looking to do everything he can to get his team a win this weekend. Harbaugh and Eagles head coach Chip Kelly are also familiar with each other after competing against each other in the Pac-10. In two head-to-head meetings while their college coaching careers overlapped with Harbaugh at Stanford and Kelly at Oregon, the two split decisions in 2009 and 2010. In each, the home team won. If the Eagles can come out with another win then they will be setting themselves up in a very good position the rest of the way, but 4-0 is very difficult to come by, especially against a team that was in the Super Bowl just two seasons ago.
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Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
