49ers win an ugly one over the Eagles 17-11 behind a great defensive performance

Week 2 produces a San Francisco victory over Philadelphia

The 49ers’ offense didn’t start the game the way they wanted. The timing was off, and Jimmy Garoppolo missed an easy throw for a would-be first down. Garoppolo had an errant throw go through the hands of a Philadelphia Eagles defender and was fortunate not to throw an interception. San Francisco went three-and-out on its first three drives.

On the other side of the ball, the Eagles spread San Francisco out, though the 49ers did an excellent job of holding up in space. Javon Kinlaw made a difference early in the running game, as did D.J. Jones.

The early difference was Jalen Hurts, and Philadelphia was able to convert third downs. Hurts ran for a first down on their third drive, then found Quez Watkins for a 26-yard gain on the next third down.

A critical stop by Jones on third down and a blocked field goal by Kinlaw kept the Eagles from adding points to keep the score 3-0.

On the ensuing drive, in the second quarter, the 49ers picked up their initial first down of the game. After a chop block by Mohamed Sanu, the. 49ers were behind the chains. Garoppolo had an errant throw on the drive but found Deebo Samuel for a 17-yard gain to make it third and eight.

Unfortunately, Shanahan chose to run the ball. Was he trying to get closer in an attempt to go for it on fourth down? Or was this a sign that he didn’t trust Jimmy G? Either way, the 49ers wasted good field position and were forced to punt.

On the next play, Hurts took a shot deep to Watkins for a gain of 91 yards. If not for Tartt running him down, Watkins likely scores. After a Fred Warner tackle for loss and a stop by Jimmie Ward, the Eagles tried to run the “Philly Special” on fourth down, and it couldn’t have turned out worse.

The Niners’ defense sniffed the play out to force a turnover. So, they took points off the board in two consecutive drives.

San Francisco took over with a little over two minutes to play in the half. They had 97 yards to go, and it didn’t seem like Shanahan was interested in scoring. Then, Garoppolo threaded the needle to Deebo Samuel for a gain of 40.

Jauan Jennings’s first reception of his career went for a touchdown after seemingly every Eagles defender went with George Kittle. That coverage bust gave the 49ers a 7-3 lead.

San Francisco had no business being ahead at halftime, but they made timely plays.

Nick Bosa has a strip-sack to start the second half, which forced an Eagles punt. I was curious to see how aggressive the 49ers would be out of the half.

After a couple of first downs, Garoppolo was again fortunate not to throw an interception. This time, he underthrew Deebo, and the ball went through the hands of Steven Nelson.

After an 11-play, 53-yard drive by the Eagles that took five minutes off the clock, Arden Key had a QB hit that forced Hurts to throw incomplete to Reagor. Lenoir did a nice job against Devonta Smith by pinning him to the sideline on the play before.

On the ensuing drive, Brandon Aiyuk converted a third down for his first catch of the season. That happened at the end of the third quarter, by the way.

Jimmy and Deebo had it working today as they converted another third down for 15 yards. After a JaMycal Hasty 21-yard scamper, Jimmy G snuck it in from the one-yard line to make it 14-3. For the second time in the game, the 49ers drove 90+ yards for a score.

Elijah Mitchell was questionable to return with a shoulder injury.

Now that the 49ers had a double-digit lead, the pass rush was sure to come alive. Jimmie Ward and Deommodore Lenoir had pass breakups, and the coverage allowed Bosa to pick up his second sack of the year to force an Eagles punt.

JaMycal Hasty and Trey Sermon (on his first career carry) fumbled, but the Eagles committed two personal fouls that allowed the 49ers to keep the ball. Trent Cannon carried the ball on the next play, but Mitchell returned.

The two personal fouls put the 49ers in field goal range for Robbie Gould, who hit a 46-yarder to make it 17-3.

The Eagles scored in 65 seconds after Hurts waltzed his way down the field — with an assist from the refs on a terrible personal foul call — to score, and after a two-point conversion, the score was 17-11.

The 49ers converted after a Jimmy G sneak for a first down to win it. It was sloppy, even ugly at times, but it’s a win on the road.

2-0 with the Packers on deck.