Eagles vs. 49ers: Breaking Down Philadelphia's Game Plan

Will LeSean McCoy be able to find running room against the San Francisco 49ers with three of his Philadelphia Eagles offensive linemen on the shelf? The Birds may not want to waste too much time trying to find out.

McCoy rushed 19 times for 22 yards in Week 3, and his ineffectiveness didn’t have anything to do with an injury or the All-Pro’s tendency to dance in the backfield. With left guard Evan Mathis and right tackle Lane Johnson already out and center Jason Kelce following suit mid-game, there were no holes to run through.

The road doesn’t get any easier in San Francisco, owners of the NFL’s seventh-ranked run defense. The 49ers haven’t finished worse than sixth against the ground attack since 2008. They know what they’re doing.

It’s a battle an inexperienced, patchwork offensive line won’t win.

Position	LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Player	J. Peters	M. Tobin	D. Molk	D. Kelly	T. Herremans
Career Starts	116	0	0	12	119

Matt Tobin and David Molk are set to make their first career starts in Week 4 at left guard and center respectively. Starting right guard Todd Herremans will slide out to tackle, while reserve Dennis Kelly takes over for him along the interior.

Quite often in these situations, an offensive coordinator would be doing his guys a favor by calling for plenty of handoffs. In this case, the unit probably stands a better chance in pass protection.

That’s because the 49ers are without their best pass-rusher, outside linebacker Aldon Smith, who’s currently serving a nine-game suspension, as well as playmaking interior linebacker NaVorro Bowman, who's recovering from a gruesome knee injury. Their absences are apparent.

San Francisco has just four sacks through three games, three of those belonging to defensive end Justin Smith. The defense simply hasn’t been able to generate consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks without two of its stars.

That may change against the makeshift line the Eagles will have out there on Sunday, but it has to be a better option than running McCoy into a stone wall all day. That’s not to say Philadelphia should abandon the run from the outset, either—simply prepare for the likelihood it won’t be successful.

If pounding the rock isn’t working, the Eagles run the risk of burning through possessions and putting the 49ers offense back on the field quickly.

Rookie vs. Rookie

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

The other benefit to attacking through the air is there appears to be at least one matchup to take advantage of in the San Francisco secondary. If the Eagles can get slot receiver Jordan Matthews against safety Jimmie Ward, there’s a chance they could exploit the young safety.

A first-round draft pick out of Northern Illinois, Ward has been working as the 49ers primary nickel cornerback. The 5'11", 193-pound defensive back had some trouble against bigger receivers; he was roasted for three touchdowns by Chicago Bears All-Pro wideout Brandon Marshall in Week 2.

According to the game charters at Pro Football Focus (subscription required), no other slot corner has allowed three scores this season.

GM	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
Wk 1 vs. JAC	2	37	18.0	0
Wk 2 @ IND	1	17	17.0	0
Wk 3 vs. WAS	8	59	7.4	2

Obviously, Matthews is no Marshall—yet—but the second-round pick is coming off of an eight-reception, two-touchdown performance against Washington. At 6’3” and 212 pounds, Matthews has the size advantage.

This is one battle the Eagles should be able to win.

No Chance?

You’ll have to forgive me, but I’m at a bit of a loss to explain how exactly the Eagles defense can go about stopping San Francisco’s offense, particularly the Colin Kaepernick-led passing attack.

Philadelphia’s defense is ranked 30th through the air. San Francisco wide receivers Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin and Steve Johnson have combined for 10 1,000-yard seasons between them. Tight end Vernon Davis is a two-time Pro Bowler.

	YDS	1ST%	40+	SK	RATING
Totals	280.3	36.8	4	3	94.9
Rank	30th	19th	t-28th (last)	t-27th	20th

Even if the Eagles can somehow cover all of them, who’s left to keep Kaepernick from taking off?

You certainly can’t count on a pass rush that was downright invisible against Washington in Week 3. Philadelphia has produced only three sacks—only two teams have fewer.

Normally, all of these responsibilities would fall to Mychal Kendricks on some level. He would need to rush the passer, spy Kaepernick and drop into coverage against Davis, all while providing support against Frank Gore and the 49ers ground attack.

Unfortunately, it appears Kendricks is headed for the inactive list for the second week in a row. CSNPhilly.com reports the interior linebacker still wasn’t practicing as of Wednesday.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

The only interior linebacker the Eagles have who has the athleticism to do half of the things Kendricks can on a football field is Marcus Smith. The first-round pick made his NFL debut on Sunday, playing 18 snaps in the win over Washington—although he failed to record so much as a tackle.

Smith was drafted to play outside linebacker, but with the injuries to Kendricks and Najee Goode, the needs of the defense changed. With little more than a week under his belt at a new position, Smith may need to evolve rapidly to give the Eagles defense a chance.

With sub-4.7 speed, as reported by NFL.com from the scouting combine, Smith may be one of the only linebackers on the roster who can spy Kaepernick, a passer with elite mobility. At 6’3” with 34-inch arms, Smith may also be one of the few linebackers who can cover a tight end like Davis.

Who else is left to do these things? Emmanuel Acho? Casey Matthews?

Considering Smith was a healthy scratch two short weeks ago, it’s hard to imagine him having such a huge and perhaps critical impact on a game like this. Then again, it’s hard to imagine the Eagles winning if he doesn’t give the defense something.