On Sunday, October 2, the San Francisco 49ers traveled to Philadelphia to face the Eagles. In what was expected to be a blowout win by the Eagles, the 49ers overcame a 23-3 deficit to defeat the Eagles by a score of 24-23. It was an extremely impressive win by the 49ers, and it marked the first time since 2006 that the 49ers were able to win back to back road games.
Alex Smith, the San Francisco quarterback, had a slow first half, only throwing for a total of 90 yards at halftime. In the second half, Smith completed a 30 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Josh Morgan, and also, a 9 yard touchdown pass to tight end Vernon Davis. At the end of the day, Smith completed 21 out of 33 passes for 291 total yards and 2 touchdown passes.
The San Francisco 49ers were trailing the Eagles by 6 points with only about 7 minutes remaining in the game. It was at this point the 49ers were able to stop the powerhouse Eagle offense and reclaim possession for the winning drive. The 49ers were able to move the 77 total yards on eight plays. This drive was capped off by a 12 yard touchdown run by Frank Gore. This run put the 49ers ahead for good.
On the subsequent Philadelphia offensive drive, the Eagles were moving the ball with ease against the San Francisco defense. When the Eagles made it to about mid-field, quarterback Michael Vick threw a pass to wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. Maclin took the pass up the sideline for about 15 yards when Justin Smith for the 49ers punched the ball out of his possession and forced a fumble. The 49ers jumped on the ball, and ran out the clock a few plays later.
The 49ers defense was somewhat soft in the first half, but they were able to force two important turnovers that kept the game within reach. Cornerback Carlos Rodgers intercepted Michael Vick for his second pick of the year, and the defense was able to come up with a fumble by Eagles running back Ronnie Brown at the goal line. The defense stiffened in the second half, and kept Vick relatively in check. Vick was unable to throw a single touchdown pass in the second half, after he threw two in the first half. The tackling for the 49ers got seemingly better as well.
Coach Jim Harbaugh stated in his press conference that this Sunday’s win was one of the best team efforts that he’s ever been associated with. When asked about his team, Harbaugh said, “What a great team win.” For the second straight week, the San Francisco 49ers showed a great amount of heart in the second half, overcoming a seemingly insurmountable lead.
The 49ers will have a lot of confidence going home to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week. They will need to have as much momentum as possible to battle the 3-1 Bucs, who are coming off an impressive win against the Colts on Monday night.
