A win over the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday would clinch a spot for the Birds in this year’s playoffs, but the Eagles had better show up ready to play their best football.
The formula for beating the Niners is fairly simple.
Offensively get ahead of them and force them to throw the football. Of course the Eagles will have to stay away from turnovers, but the key will putting the ball in the end zone when they get in the red zone.
You know the Niners will do everything they can to prevent DeSean Jackson from scoring on big plays. The Birds cannot let teams dictate to them whether they’re going to get the football to Jackson or not.
The Niners defense emulates their head coach Mike Singletary, so they’re going to be physical.
Their linebackers attack the line of scrimmage aggressively if they read run.
This will leave fullback Leonard Weaver and tight end Brent Celek running free down the middle of the field, if they catch them in a double zone and run a play action pass.
Defensively they have to stop running back Frank Gore and make quarterback Alex Smith beat them. It means an eight-man front on run downs when they can.
The Niners are going to try to keep the Birds out of eight-men fronts by playing shotgun formations with at least three wide receivers on first and second downs.
They must mix things up versus outstanding tight end Vernon Davis.
Sean McDermott said they spreading him out and forcing mismatches with either linebackers or defensive backs.
He’s too fast for the linebackers and too big and physical for the defensive backs.
He already has 11 TD passes.
First round draft pick Michael Crabtree is starting to get comfortable. He may force them to double team him.
The guy they will be focused on when the Niners are throwing the ball is the signal caller Smith.
They want to get ahead and make the Niners one dimensional, then throw the kitchen sink at Smith.
