Handing out 10 awards from the Eagles-49ers game

As we do after every game, win or lose, we present... Eagles awards!

The Eagles ran for 22 yards against the Niners. 22. They were out-gained by the Niners 218-22. Their long run on the day was five yards. Five.

Brutal. So what's up? Is it that opposing defenses are keying on the run game? Is it the decimated offensive line? Have opposing defenses adapted to Chip Kelly's rushing attack? Is LeSean McCoy just not as good right now for whatever reason as he was last season?

I think there are reasonable arguments for all of the above. Whatever the case, the Eagles' rushing attack has gone from their biggest strength to a legitimate weakness (rankings in parentheses):

Nick Foles did not play well, but his throw to Riley Cooper in the end zone with the chance to take the lead was one of the best of his career. Foles threaded several defenders and the ball found its way to Cooper's hands untouched. Cooper simply dropped it. That was Cooper's second drop in the end zone this season, and it occurred in a huge moment. Cooper is averaging 31 yards per game, and has simply not been good this season. That contract may have been a big mistake.

Heading into this game, the Niners had been outscored 52-3. The Eagles had outscored their opponents in the second half by 50. But as my friend Tommy Lawlor pointed out as the second half was about to begin, all that means squat once you get into the game, especially considering the Eagles had barely possessed the ball at all in the first half:

The Niners outscored the Eagles 16-0 in the second half yesterday.

Burton did a great job on the blocked punt that resulted in an Eagles' touchdown, but it wasn't all good for the Eagles' undrafted free agent tight end. On a perfectly placed Donnie Jones punt that wasn't even headed for the end zone, Burton downed the ball with his foot on the goal line. What would have been Niners ball at the 1 or 2 wound up being Niners ball at the 20. It was reminiscent of Roc Carmichael kicking the ball into the end zone when trying to down it inside the five against the Saints in the playoffs last year.

Just pull the fire alarm at the Eagles hotel. When you do that, you'll apparently get a sleepy, craptastic version of the Eagles offense.

The situation: SF 23, PHI 21. The Niners had a 3rd and 3 at the Eagles 24 yard line with 9:25 left in the game, and they threw an incomplete pass. Derek Carrier was called for offensive pass interference. The decision here is a no-brainer -- decline the penalty, take the 4th and 3, and let the Niners attempt a 41 yard FG. If the Niners want to try to go for a 4th and 3 and pass on taking a crucial five point lead instead of a two point lead, then by all means, I dare you -- go right ahead and go for it. But more than likely, they were going to kick the FG.

Instead, the Eagles accepted the penalty, pushing the Niners back to the 34 yard line, but giving them another down. I'm not sure what Chip Kelly has seen from his defense over the last year+, but I've seen a unit that has given up an inordinate number of 3rd and long conversions. In fact, at that point in the game the Niners had already converted, in chronological order, a 3rd and 12, a 3rd and 10, a 3rd and 6, a 3rd and 5, a 3rd and 15, a 3rd and 11, a 3rd and 9, and a 3rd and 7, in addition to several other 3rd and short conversions.

Now, if the Niners employed a kicker who sucked at long field goals, like, oh, say, Alex Henery... maybe you push them back, try to get a stop, and luck out with a long missed FG. However, even by pushing the Niners back to the 34, they were still well within FG range, as evidenced by kicker Phil Dawson's earlier bomb from 51 yards.

The risk faaaaaar outweighed the reward. And what happened? Sure enough, Colin Kaepernick scampered for a first down on 3rd and 13. The Niners eventually settled for a FG on the drive anyway, but they were able to bleed almost an extra three minutes off the clock, which the Eagles certainly could have used.

If you were outside the Philadelphia and San Francisco markets, there's a good chance you missed the first 5 or so plays of the game. FOX showed the end of the 1pm Buccaneers-Steelers game, and when it ended, instead of flipping immediately to the Eagles-49ers game, FOX went to commercials while the game was in progress. COMMERCIALS! That is totally unacceptable.

The most egregious example of awful tackling was committed by Earl Wolff on Frank Gore's long TD reception, but the Eagles defense as a whole missed a lot of tackles throughout the entire afternoon.

Celek hasn't caught a pass since Week 1.

Jenkins collected his league-leading third INT of the season, which he took to the house, and Sproles took a punt to the house. Without the Eagles' former Saints, this might have been a blowout.

Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @JimmyKempski