Eagles Will Huff And Puff And Blow 49ers Door In

Jun 17, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Wide receiver

Josh Huff

(11) walks to the field during mini camp at the Philadelphia Eagles NovaCare Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Eagles Will Huff And Puff And Blow 49ers Door In

Wide receiver Josh Huff has begun practicing with the Eagles offense this week. Wide receiver Jordan Matthews just came off a two TD performance to give the Eagles a victory over the Washington Redskins. So the question is asked of those Eagles – who must play a huge game on the road in San Francisco to get a victory. Can they Huff and Puff and blow the 49ers door in?

Despite the 49ers slow 1-2 start, this week’s game could have huge eventual implications to the NFC playoff picture. The game is being played on the 49ers home field, giving them the home field advantage. And what an advantage! West coast teams traveling to the East coast who play an early game are at a disadvantage because they are are not acclimated to the three hour earlier time. But an East coast NFL team traveling west suffers the opposite effect. Therefore, home field advantage is exaggerated when the teams are coast to coast. Even factoring that in, the point spread for this game ranges from 4.5 to 6 points in favor of the home team. Vegas doesn’t believe the 49ers are bad, and has even more trouble believing the Eagles are good.

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So it comes as no surprise that the Eagles are a solid underdog in the game, despite entering the contest at 3-0 while the home field San Francisco 49ers. Based upon the Eagles three come from behind victories, wagering money seems to think this is the end of the road for the Eagles success, even if merely temporarily. That could be correct.

A year ago the San Francisco 49ers started 1-2 before cranking out a five game winning streak to enter season’s midpoint at 6-2. But to that the Philadelphia Eagles began the 2013 season 1-2 and by midpoint were all but out of the race at 3-5. In 2013, the Eagles offense was sporadic, scoring 33 and 30 points, but in the next two games could only muster 16 and 20 points. In 2014, despite numerous injuries to their offensive line, the Eagles have been consistently scoring over 30 points a game. It’s a new year and a new script.

This year the Eagles are battle tested. That’s right. They may have beaten Jacksonville and Washington at home, but they went on the road and defeated quarterback Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts in Indianapolis, giving Luck a consecutive loss for the first time in his career. The maligned defense held Luck to a mere 172 passing yards in the game.

And so this Eagles team enters Levi’s Stadium undefeated and undervalued. This Eagles team has had huge second half comeback victories. This Eagles team has something to prove. This Eagles team’s mantra is “We Fight!”.

The San Francisco 49ers are already in post season discussions, despite the slow 1-2 start. And despite leading in all three games, their slow second half production lost two of three games and almost cost them their opener versus the Dallas Cowboys.

So we have a team that comes alive in the second half facing a team that seems to fall asleep in the second half. It seems like a script for a victory for the visiting team. And while the 49ers are stingy in surrendering rushing yards, they are susceptible to a good passing attack. As of this date, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles leads the NFL in passing yards, is fifth is passing touchdowns, and second in passing offense.

The Eagles passing attack is led by wide receiver Jeremy Maclin who has caught a touchdown pass in each game this year. He is closely followed by sure handed running back Darren Sproles, who has caught 14 of 17 passes tossed his way for 196 yards. A close third is tight end Zach Ertz, who is averaging 19.7 yards per catch so far this year.

But the two players who could be the difference makers in this game are Josh “Huff” Huff and Jordan “Puff” Matthews. While Huff’s return will not be decidedly as a pass receiver, his appearance could be one more threat for the Eagles on special teams, who had a 102 yard return against the Chicago Bears in preseason.

“I will definitely,” Huff said with emphasis, “be back for the (San Francisco) 49ers game next week.”

Meanwhile, the question is not “if” but “when” will the Eagles get Jordan Matthews onto the field. His two touchdown performance against the Washington Redskins confirmed what many of the Eagles following have suspected, he’s got the makings of a good NFL talent. In one game, he’s tied the touchdown production of such household NFL names as wide receivers Calvin Johnson, Dez Bryant, and 49er Michael Crabtree. With only 18 opportunities, it’s clear that he has some potential.

“I will definitely be back for the 49ers game next week.” – Josh Huff

The 49ers can attempt to over commit their defense to stop the Eagles’ passing game. But with running backs like LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles, and Chris Polk, they would quickly regret that decision.

Its a game of numbers. It’s a game of outflanking your opponent. It’s a game of strategy. That is where head coach Chip Kelly feels most comfortable. He practically lives the game. It’s his innovative way of doing things which is reshaping the NFL offense to rapid play execution and forcing defenses into a disadvantage.

That’s why this Eagles team remains one of the top ranked NFL offenses despite the absence of four offensive linemen. They don’t wait for the wind to change their luck. They make their own wind. And this Sunday, the Eagles will Huff and Puff the 49ers door in.

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