49ers Getting Help From Above To Avoid Death From Above

San Francisco head coach Mike Singletary has this curious habit of thanking the big fella (and I don't mean defensive tackle Aubrayo Franklin) every time his team comes out of a game with a win.

This weekend however, he might want to thank Her, as in Mother Nature, before the game even starts.

Around last Tuesday or so, the situation looked very bleak for the red and gold.

Sure, they'd just won a huge Monday night game against the NFC West-leading Cardinals 24-9, but now the next game on the schedule had them going to Philadelphia, to pay a visit to the 9-4 Eagles, leaders of the NFC East and winners of four straight.

The Eagles, as is custom this time of year under Andy Reid, are peaking.

Not only does Philadelphia boast a ball-hawking, opportunistic defense that's particularly stingy on third downs and in the red zone, but also their offense is perhaps the most inventive and multidimensional of anybody's outside of the Saints.

They've got a jackhammer at running back with Leonard Weaver, a smaller, quicker guy in LeSean McCoy that they use on screens, a big play tight end in Brent Celek, the ultimate Wildcat weapon in Michael Vick, and of course they've got DeSean Jackson, who's only the most prominent playmaker in the NFL.

Triggering the attack is an in-form Donovan McNabb, who's been tormenting the Niners (and the rest of the league) for years, and who's been far more accurate on the deep ball this season than any other in his 11-year career.

On paper, this looks like a disastrous matchup.

While the Niners defense has been plenty stout at home, they've been cannon fodder on the road, particularly against the pass, and their secondary has been torn to shreds by Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Matt Schaub, and Aaron Rodgers.

Consider these numbers: At home San Francisco is 5-2, and has allowed 15.3 points per game, 217 passing yards per game, 314.9 yards overall, and forced 20 turnovers, which works out to 2.67 per contest.

On the road however, they're 1-5, they give up 22.5 points per game, 274.7 passing yards per and 366.3 overall, and they've come away with only five turnovers, or 0.83 per contest.

To put it another way, the 49ers have allowed 28 more points and 129 more passing yards on the road than at home this season, despite having played one fewer road game so far.

San Francisco's secondary was incredible against the Cardinals on Monday, but their two receivers, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, are big guys who specialize in catching short and intermediate range passes and shaking off would-be tacklers.

They're not burners like Jackson, whom the 49ers scouts saw plenty of during his college days at Cal, yet still passed over in the draft not once but twice.

Jackson plays with a chip on his shoulder anyway, incredulous (as he should be) that someone with his talent lasted until the 49th pick of the 2008 draft, but he figures to be particularly bitter towards the Bay Area teams, who saw him display his gifts every Saturday for three years.

Sure, the 49ers had no credible receivers at all at the time, but why would they want a guy like Jackson when defensive end Kentwan Balmer and guard Chilo Rachal were on the draft board, right?

McNabb has completed a pass of 46 yards or longer for 10 straight games, with the majority of them going to Jackson.

He's turned into the modern day Daryle Lamonica, aka "The Mad Bomber" and he's been raining death from above.

Jackson also caught a couple of long ones earlier in the year from backup QB Kevin Kolb, when McNabb was injured, and he's also scored on a 67-yard end around and two dazzling punt returns.

Singletary must have looked to the heavens and asked himself how his defense could possibly slow these guys down.

And then, like that, he got his answer.

In a town where usually the only thing frightful is the fans, Philadelphia has been deluged by a snow storm.

It's going to be difficult for either team to throw the ball, and that definitely favors the 49ers, who'll be content to pound Frank Gore into the line and take their chances.

At least they have a chance now.

Like Bing Crosby sang, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.