Philadelphia Eagles: 3 Keys to victory versus San Francisco 49ers
By Hunter Doyle
1. The Philadelphia Eagles defense has to stop the run.
This goes without saying. Kyle Shanahan’s wide zone scheme has been near unstoppable when the offense is healthy.
Defenses also have to account for fly sweeps to Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk as Rich Madrid noted. The offensive line still consists of Trent Williams and Laken Tomlinson who are both monsters on the left side of the line.
Alex Mack signed on this offseason to play center for Shanahan once again which moved Daniel Brunskill to right guard. Mike McGlinchey fits what Shanahan needs at right tackle. Not to mention, Kyle Juszczyk and George Kittle will open up lanes on the ground.
Raheem Mostert’s season-ending knee injury has thrust rookie Elijah Mitchell into the starting lineup. Mitchell surpassed 100-yards in his debut and posted three broken tackles along with 40 yards after contact. At Lousiana, he was known for his ability to bulldoze defenders and maintain impressive contact balance. Philadelphia struggled against Atlanta’s run game last week before settling in.
Eric Wilson and Genard Avery are two major concerns in this regard. Wilson might be the Eagles’ most experienced linebacker and the most familiar with Gannon’s scheme but T.J. Edwards might be the better option with his instincts in the run game.
Last week, Gannon rotated the linebackers pretty regularly but Wilson played every snap with Singleton the next closest at 60 percent. Singleton needs more action if the Eagles have a shot at winning this one. The hope is that the front four can get home and take some pressure off of the linebackers. Gannon’s variety of defensive fronts should help the cause.