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The Inquirer’s Eagles-49ers Predictions

The Inquirer’s Eagles beat reporters make predictions for Sunday’s game.

The Inquirer's Eagles beat reporters make predictions for Sunday's game:

This is the best defense the Eagles will face so far this season. Can the battered offensive line survive?

Jeff McLane:
Can they? Sure. Will they? I don't know. I think the line we've seen in practice this week -- left to right: Jason Peters, Matt Tobin, David Molk, Dennis Kelly, Todd Herremans -- is the best configuration of the players available. Herremans is an upgrade over Andrew Gardner at right tackle. A healthy Tobin is an upgrade over Kelly at left guard. And the fall from Kelly to Herremans isn't as dramatic as it could be. The big concern, to me, is Molk at center for the injured Jason Kelce. Duh, right? Molk is a smart football player, but he can't be expected to be as sharp and as ready pre-snap. Molk is an athletic center, but there might not be a center in the NFL as quick as Kelce. And Molk is good at using leverage, but he gives up a considerable amount in size. The Eagles list him at 6-1, 290 pounds. The Redskins' Chris Baker (6-2, 330) man handled him for over a quarter of play. If Baker wasn't ejected, I'm not sure the Eagles win last Sunday.

The 49ers don't have as much size at nose tackle with starter Ian Williams (6-1, 305), but he is a talented run stopper. The Eagles will have to give Molk plenty of help, I'd imagine, if a faltering run game can rebound. That will make the Eagles weaker at other spots on the line, but I think Chip Kelly is savvy enough to find ways to get LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles to the outside with running lanes. As for containing defensive end Justin Smith and the 49ers pass rush, that is a different story. Aldon Smith and Navorro Bowman are still out, but Vic Fangio is one of the better play-calling defensive coordinators in the NFL. He'll face a big challenge trying to match wits with Kelly.

Zach Berman: I'm concerned about the interior of the Eagles' offensive line. It's three new pieces playing together, and it comes against a productive defensive line. Chip Kelly is a sharp enough coach to compensate for some of the personnel issues, but he needs unproven players to play at a starter level in order to get McCoy and keep Nick Foles' jersey clean. It's one thing to look at the amount of times Foles is sacked, but also look at the amount of time he's hit.

Smith is the player to watch for the 49ers. He's so tough and physical, and could be a handful for Tobin. As promising as Tobin might be, he's never faced a player like Smith before. Peters can help, but much of that depends upon how Smith rushes. I'd anticipate Brent Celek helping with the blocking quite a bit. Kelly will keep the passing game going, but can they open holes for the run?

Will the Eagles be able to contain Colin Kaepernick?

McLane: There's so much raw talent with Kaepernick that you keep thinking he'll someday put it all together. That day has yet to come. He's completed 70 percent of his passes this season, but he's also had four turnovers in three games and has failed to come through in big second half spots the last two games. The 49ers certainly haven't lost two in a row only because of their quarterback, but he hasn't been the world beater many projected he could be by his fourth season. That being said, he is still a very dangerous quarterback for a defense to prepare for. His ability to run adds another element to his game that few quarterbacks possess. As Kelly said on Thursday, Kaepernick doesn't scramble as much as you might think or the 49ers don't run as many option plays as you might think. The ball will often be snapped to Kaepernick and he'll straight-up run behind his blockers. He's rushed 26 times for 129 yards (5.0 avg.) this season.

For that reason, I don't think the Eagles will employ a spy. But I do worry about that inside linebacker group with Mychal Kendricks likely out for another week. Bill Davis said that he plans to once again use an Emmanuel Acho-Casey Matthews-Marcus Smith rotation to play opposite DeMeco Ryans. That threesome didn't play as poorly as you might think, particularly against the run and in coverage. But they did little to aid a struggling pass rush. The key for the Eagles defense in slowing Kaepernick and the 49ers offense will be to contain Frank Gore on run downs and force third and long downs. If they do that early, they'll keep from falling behind once again and force the 49ers to the air and make them less predictable.

Berman: The danger in playing Kaepernick is understanding there's always a threat of danger. Anyone who watched those two postseason games against the Packers can see he can change the game with one big throw or one big run. The 49ers have more receiving weapons this season, with Michael Crabtree healthy and Stevie Johnson added to the mix. I've been surprised by how much they're passing this season – they've always been able to run the ball under Jim Harbaugh. Gore and Carlos Hyde only had nine carries last game, and I'd expect to see more of them this week. But Vernon Davis is a challenge at tight end, and Anquan Boldin is so tough in the slot.

So it's not just whether the Eagles can contain Kaepernick, although I can see him having a strong game. The Eagles are going to need to find a way to get to the quarterback, though. Kaepernick has been sacked six times this season. The Eagles have only three sacks, and not a single one in the past two games. As much as they say sacks can be overrated, good teams usually get to the quarterback. The Eagles must be disciplined with their pass rush -- if they get to deep, Kaepernick can take off -- but the defense must force more negative plays. One thing that will help is third-and-long situations. Washington had 10 third downs from three yards or fewer last week.

Who's your stud and dud for the Eagles?

McLane: I've got Brandon Boykin for my stud. As you mentioned, Zach, the 49ers have tilted toward the pass this season and I see no reason why they won't try and chuck the ball downfield against a pass defense that allowed Kirk Cousins to throw for 427 yards. San Fran has also used a lot of sets with three receivers or more on first and second down which should finally get Boykin on the field more than the 32 percent of snaps he's played this season. Boykin will see a lot of Boldin in the slot. The last time those two met two seasons ago, Boldin was with the Ravens and Boykin was playing in his second NFL game. He more than held his own and kept Boldin in check. I think he'll do the same here and record his first interception of the season.

As for the dud, I hate to pile on Molk, who is being dumped into a tough spot, but he will have his struggles against inside pressure.

Berman: My stud this week is Zach Ertz. He had only three targets last and has only nine this season. That's not enough for a player of his caliber. The 49ers have been solid against tight ends this season, although Martellus Bennett caught seven passes. This is a big game for Ertz, who grew up in the Bay Area and played for Harbaugh at Stanford. The loss of Bowman hurts San Francisco in the middle of the field, and I see the Eagles taking advantage of it. There could also a mismatch with rookie Jimmie Ward in the slot.

My dud this week is Tobin. The Eagles are high on him, and it might be deserved. But Smith is a tough assignment for the first start of Tobin's career and first game of the season.

What's your prediction?

McLane: After misfiring last week, I'm no longer bound to my preseason picks, which had the Eagles going on the road and winning at San Francisco. So I'm going with the 49ers because, while I do think they'll take a slight step back this season, I think their backs are up against the wall and Harbaugh is too good of a coach with too good of a team to fall to 1-3. Yes, the Eagles have a pretty darn good coach in Kelly, as well, but his offense is hampered and I don't think the offensive line can hold up against that front seven. And on the Eagles defense, I just don't see enough athleticism in the middle without Kendricks. It'll be another close one, but I got the 49ers 31, Eagles 27.

Berman: The Eagles deserve a lot of credit for the 3-0 start. It's even more promising because I don't think they've scratched the surface of their capabilities. That same statement could be made about San Francisco, who should be a legitimate Super Bowl contender. I know they're missing some key pieces, but their coaching is too good and their roster too talented to be a 1-3 team. I also see a close game, but the Eagles will have a long flight home. My pick is 49ers 28, Eagles 24.