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The Lions were just a warm-up.
The Eagles are a quality team that will win more games than they lose this season. Still, the 49ers should beat them if they accomplish these five things:
1. Bring back the Jimmy Gimmes.
The 49ers lost to the Eagles last season because the 49ers couldn’t handle the ball effectively and head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t call out the extended transfers, or “Jimmy Gimmes,” that make life so easy for his quarters. I’m talking about shovel passes, screens – anything that doesn’t go beyond the line of scrimmage. Those shots were largely missing, so the 49ers gave up 5.5 sacks to a huge pass rush from the Eagles and lost. The same could happen in this match if Shanahan doesn’t engage in the run and get the ball out of Jimmy Garoppolo’s hands as quickly as possible.
2. Expand the Trey Lance package.
The 49ers must avoid the Eagles pass rush by running the ball. And for now, the 49ers appear to have only one healthy running back that Shanahan trusts – rookie Elijah Mitchell. Mitchell carried the ball 19 times against the Lions. It is unrealistic to expect him to take on a heavier workload against the Eagles. Which means Shanahan has to find another running back he trusts, and that should be Trey Lance. He is expected to run at least six times, as is Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. And Lance should pitch too, because the Eagles won’t expect it.
3. Abandon the Defensive Front Wide 9.
Robert Saleh installed the Wide 9 in 2019 to supercharge the 49ers’ passing rush at the expense of his run defense. The Wide 9 works best against attacks that feature pocket quarterbacks and one-back formations – i.e. Rams. It doesn’t work better against offenses that have double-threat quarterbacks – i.e. the Eagles.
If Saleh was still around, he would most likely use a 5-man defensive front to stop the Eagles’ zone playing game, because that’s what he did in 2019 when he faced Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. . Will new defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans use a 5-man front or something other than the Wide 9 if the Wide 9 is nicked by runs between tackles? He would do better.
4. Keep Jalen Hurts in the pocket.
The 49ers have a formidable pass rush that puts a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. But the pressure is not always good. Sometimes the pressure allows a mobile quarterback to slip out of his pocket and make big plays on the perimeter where he’s most dangerous. The 49ers shouldn’t worry about putting pressure on Hurts on Sunday. They should be worried about keeping it in the pocket. Because if they make him stand still, they’ll take most of the big plays out of the Eagles’ passing game and might intercept a few shots as well.
5. Don’t be cute with a second half lead.
Shanahan certainly knows how to set up big leads in the second half, but he also knows how to give them. He gave two big second-half leads in the Super Bowls, and almost did the same last week against the Creepy Lions. His preferred method of giving late leads is to needlessly move up to second while winning by multiple scores, as Shanahan is more concerned with scoring points than burning the clock. So with 11:25 left in the fourth quarter last week and the 49ers leading by three touchdowns, Shanahan called a pass back to the second and 10. Guess what? Jimmy Garoppolo was sacked, and then the Lions began their comeback.
As long as Shanahan sticks to the run and keeps his defense off the field as much as possible, the 49ers should win 34-31 and start the season 2-0. His decisions will determine the outcome of this match.
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