49ers’ win streak over – Eagles get their 1st win
Mullens misfires for TD pick-six in last 5 minutes
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens (4) is sacked by Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Genard Avery, center, during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. At right is nose tackle Javon Hargrave (93). (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
2020.10.04 – After a sterling debut last Sunday to rout the Giants, Nick Mullens finished 18-of-26 attempts for 200 yards with one touchdown and two appalling interceptions at Levi’s Stadium.
The San Francisco 49ers’ two win streak is over, and a couple of unlikely players helped deliver the Philadelphia Eagles their first win of the season 25-20 on Sunday night.
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Eagles’ Travis Fulgham caught a go-ahead 42-yard touchdown pass from Carson Wentz with 5:50 remaining and Alex Singleton returned an interception for a score to lift the Eagles to the 25-20 win.
“It’s a huge relief. Big team win,” Wentz said. “It’s fun to see these young guys step up and make plays in big moments like this.”
With the Eagles (1-2-1) missing their top three receivers and No. 2 tight end Dallas Goedert, the little-known Fulgham, who came into the game with no career catches, delivered the play of the game for Philadelphia.
The Eagles were backed up with a second-and-18 from the 42 after Jalen Hurts botched a shotgun snap. But Fulgham got past backup cornerback Dontae Johnson and Wentz delivered a perfectly placed pass for the score that gave Philadelphia an 18-14 lead.
“After we broke the huddle, Carson said: ‘Be ready,’” Fulgham said. “At first, I lost the ball, but since Carson gave me a great throw, I was able to locate it and caught in the bread basket.”
Mullens then threw an interception that Singleton returned for a TD on the next drive for the 49ers (2-2), who were sent to their second loss in as many home games. Singleton had played only 11 defensive snaps coming into the game.
Mullens committed three turnovers, including losing a fumble on a strip sack by Cre’Von LeBlanc that Malik Jackson recovered to set up the go-ahead score.
2020.10.04 – San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Video)
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Travis Fulgham (13) catches a touchdown pass in front of San Francisco 49ers cornerback Dontae Johnson (27) during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
2020.10.04 – San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Video)
Mullens was replaced by C.J. Beathard following his third giveaway.
“We had plenty of opportunities. I really just didn’t execute,” Mullens said. “The way I’m feeling is pretty black and white right now. I just didn’t execute. That’s what it comes down to. Three turnovers, 14 points off turnovers. That’s really about it.”
Beathard led a late TD drive and got the Niners to the Eagles 33 before his desperation heave fell incomplete in the end zone on the final play.
“After this game, we wanted to be dog tired,” defensive back Jalen Mills said. “We had to give everything we had to get this win.”
The Niners are hoping to get starter Jimmy Garoppolo back next week from an ankle injury that has sidelined him for two games.
Rookie Brandon Aiyuk hurdled his way to a 38-yard touchdown run on a lateral from Mullens, and George Kittle had a career-high 15 catches for 183 yards and a score to lead the Niners.
Wentz came into the week with the lowest passer rating and most turnovers in the NFL. But he ran for an 11-yard TD and threw for 193 yards and a score to move the Eagles into first place in the hapless NFC East with their first win of the season.
“First place sounds really good, but we have a long way ahead of us,” coach Doug Pederson said. “Only the first quarter of the season is done. We got a long road ahead. These guys don’t quit. It’s a resilient group.”
TAKE IT AWAY
The Eagles got their first defensive takeaway of the season thanks to a poor decision by Mullens. With the Niners in the red zone, Mullens threw a ball up for grabs while under pressure and Rodney McLeod came up with it. They added two more in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia’s only takeaway coming into the game came on special teams.
SLOPPY PLAY
Wentz threw his NFL-worst seventh interception on Philadelphia’s second drive of the game. His pass was deflected by Javon Kinlaw and picked off by Azeez Al-Shaair. The seven interceptions equal Wentz’s total in each of the past three seasons and are his most since he had 14 as a rookie in 2016. The last Eagles quarterback with at least seven picks in the first four games was Ron Jaworski in 1982.
INJURY REPORT
Eagles: RT Lane Johnson left the game in the first half with an ankle injury but later returned. … LB T.J. Edwards and S Ruby Ford both left the game in the first half with hamstring injuries and didn’t return.
49ers: DL Ezekiel Ansah left the game in the first half with a biceps injury that coach Kyle Shanahan fears could be season ending. … CB K’Waun Williams left with a knee injury in the fourth quarter.
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UP NEXT
Eagles: Visit Pittsburgh on Sunday.
49ers: Host Miami on Sunday.
Related – See below: Samuel is off while Reed goes on the 49ers’ IR
Related – See: 49ers Devastating Victory Lose Bosa and Thomas
Read more at: San Francisco 49ers Media Services / More AP NFL: www.apnews.com/tag/NFL
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the San Francisco 49ers, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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Samuel is off while Reed goes on the 49ers’ IR
San Francisco 49ers TE Jordan Reed, center, is sacked by New York Giants (30) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
2020.09.28 – Kyle Shanahan has two of the best tight ends in the league but may have to wait until November to get them back on the field together.
The 49ers head coach on Monday revealed that Jordan Reed suffered an MCL sprain following a low hit in the second quarter of Sunday’s 36-9 rout of the Giants. Reed, who has never played a full 16 games in any of his eight NFL seasons, will be out 6-8 weeks, Shanahan said. The 49ers will place him on injured reserve this week.
Shanahan said he thought Reed, who signed a one-year deal this summer, was “one of the best players on the field” in the 49ers’ Week 2 win over the Jets.
“And he was coming on strong in (Sunday’s) game and was going to be a huge part of it,” Shanahan said. “I know he’s disappointed. But not discouraged. I think he was really liking where he was at. It’s something that’s going to take some time … but is nothing that’s going to affect him after that. Hopefully, we can weather the storm while he’s gone and he’ll come back to a good team.”
Shanahan would not commit to having the team’s other top tight end, George Kittle, in uniform Sunday against the Eagles. Kittle is coming off his own MCL sprain and has missed the last two games. He was limited in three practices last week before being ruled out of the Giants game on Friday.
Reed’s roster spot likely will be taken by receiver Deebo Samuel (foot), who is expected to practice Wednesday. Shanahan said Samuel’s conditioning is good but that he’ll be closely monitored throughout the week before getting a green light to play against Philadelphia. He said Samuel is “pumped” for practice.
“Wednesday will be his first time in a football practice since Super Bowl week,” Shanahan said. “So we’ve got to take that into account also.”
2020.09.27 – San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Giants (Video)
San Francisco 49ers TE Jordan Reed, center, is looked after by 49ers doctors before the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
2020.09.27 – San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Giants (Video)
Other injury news:
• At running back, Shanahan said Jerick McKinnon suffered bruised ribs in the fourth quarter Sunday and is day-to-day. The team will evaluate Raheem Mostert (knee) on Wednesday. Tevin Coleman (knee) is on injured reserve and could miss a month or so. All of that means the 49ers may have to call up rookie JaMycal Hasty from the practice squad on Saturday just as they did last week.
• At cornerback, Emmanuel Moseley is in the concussion protocol after he collided with safety Jaquiski Tartt early in the second quarter. Ahkello Witherspoon (hamstring) will be evaluated this week. That points to a second straight start for Jason Verrett, who received high marks against the Giants. In addition, nickel cornerback K’Waun Williams was dealing with “hip discomfort” on Monday and will be evaluated before Wednesday’s practice, Shanahan said.
• At linebacker, the 49ers will place Mark Nzeocha on injured reserve with a quadriceps injury. Nzeocha also is one of the team’s special teams stalwarts. With that in mind, veteran linebacker Joe Walker, who currently is on the practice squad, seems like a logical replacement. Shanahan expects Dre Greenlaw (quadriceps) to miss another game. That means Azeez Al-Shaair will fill in at strongside linebacker against the Eagles and that Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles will be in uniform for a second straight week.
• At defensive end, Shanahan said Dee Ford (back) will miss the Eagles game and possibly several more. He said the 49ers would decide in the next few days whether to put the edge rusher on injured reserve.
Finally, Shanahan said the team would decide on Wednesday whether quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would practice. He missed all three sessions in West Virginia last week with a high ankle sprain. Shanahan said the quarterback was moving “a lot better” than he was at this time last week.
“But we’re still not sure about Wednesday,” he said. “I know he needs these two days to keep rehabbing and we’ll evaluate it then.”
Shanahan said long snapper Kyle Nelson, who had five bad snaps on Sunday and was replaced by Justin Skule for the game’s final extra point, apologized to the head coach for his performance. Shanahan was sympathetic, noted that Nelson, 33, has been an excellent long snapper for years and told Nelson that the errant snaps didn’t affect the outcome in any way.
Still, the 49ers are looking at their options.
“He understands this business,” Shanahan said. “He understands how the league works and we’re going to bring in some guys (Tuesday) and work ’em out. We’ll see how they look and we’ll decide what’s the best for us going forward.”
Related – See: 49ers Devastating Victory Lose Bosa and Thomas
Read more at: San Francisco 49ers Media Services / More AP NFL: www.apnews.com/tag/NFL
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the San Francisco 49ers, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
49ERS FIT – Free 4-Day Pass
EMI Sports Central – EMI Sports Bay Area: Join the conversation on sports news for SF Bay Area teams: Follow @EMIsports on Twitter, “Like” us on Facebook and sign up for our FREE email newsletters.