Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 187 yards and a touchdown as well as rushing for another as the San Francisco 49ers beat the Philadelphia Eagles in a defensive battle; Jalen Hurts finished with 190 yards passing and 10 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Sunday 19 September 2021 21:43, UK
The San Francisco 49ers held off Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles to edge a 17-11 victory and advance to 2-0 on the season.
Jimmy Garoppolo overcame a shaky start to finish 22 of 30 for 187 yards and one touchdown, while Hurts went 12 of 23 passing for 190 yards as well as rushing for 82 yards and a touchdown off 10 carries to continue his impressive start to the year.
What had been touted as a fascinating battle at the line of scrimmage lived up to the billing, the 49ers defensive ends often standing up to the mental test of thwarting the Eagles' read-option threat and a stern Philadelphia defense stifling Kyle Shanahan's outside zone run for extended periods of the game.
The Eagles couldn't reward their defense's early success when they failed to convert on fourth-and-goal in the first half before momentum swung in the 49ers' favour on an 11-yard touchdown catch from Jauan Jennings.
San Francisco went up-tempo to take control after the interval, window-dressing the short, snappy throws to wear down an Eagles defense that had lost Brandon Graham to injury and eventually cap a 16-play, 92-yard drive lasting nine minutes with a one-yard rushing score from Garoppolo.
The hosts reduced the deficit on a late quarterback sneak from Hurts, followed by Kenneth Gainwell's two-point conversion, but it was too little too late as the 49ers chewed down the remaining time on the clock.
Eagles
Deebo Samuel asserted himself as the 49ers' leading receiving weapon as he quietly changed the game at the end of the first half into the second as the orchestrator of the yards-after-catch runs that helped the 49ers take control of possession.
Linebacker Fred Warner was an ever-reliable and tuned-in obstacle to the Eagles' committee backfield as he mopped up anything that bypassed his defensive line, which saw Nick Bosa engage in an enthralling battle with left tackle Jordan Mailata and come up with a huge play to beat the Australian and stall an Eagles drive with just over eight minutes to play in the fourth quarter.
Across from him Javon Hargrave enjoyed a dominant first half as he forced the nerves evident in Garoppolo's game early on in addition to offering the lateral quickness to close off the running lanes Shanahan and the 49ers offensive line had been striving to carve open.
Second-year quarterback Hurts meanwhile continued his confident start to the season by showing no restraint on his deep-ball as he linked up nicely with Quez Watkins as well as once again proving a nuisance with his legs.
Having broken the deadlock through Jake Elliott's 45-yard field goal, the Eagles thought they had extended their advantage when Jalen Reagor beat rookie cornerback Deommodore Lenoir in coverage down the sideline to haul in what was initially ruled a 36-yard touchdown before replays showed the second-year wide receiver had stepped out of bounds. The drive eventually came to no avail as Elliott saw his 48-yard field goal attempt blocked by second-year defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.
Penned in his own end zone, Hurts tested Lenoir again when he connected with Watkins for 91 yards to set up the Eagles on the six-yard line, only for the 49ers defense to shut them out by foiling a 'Philly Special'-esque trick-play attempt on fourth down.
Garoppolo didn't find joy until late in the half, unleashing Samuel on a hitch route for a 40-yard catch-and-run that would set up an 11-yard touchdown to a wide open Jennings to ice a 12-play 97-yard drive and snatch the lead with 12 seconds to play in the second quarter.
The 49ers built on their lead at the second time of asking in the fourth quarter, Eli Mitchell's one-yard dive for the end zone was ruled short after a review on the play before Garoppolo crossed the plane on the ensuing attempt to make it count at the end of a 16-play, 92-yard drive lasting nine minutes.
Philadelphia squandered two shots at a valuable turnover midway through the fourth, an unnecessary roughness penalty by Derek Barnett gifting the 49ers a first down after Ja'Mycal Hasty had fumbled for a loss and Trey Sermon's fumble being negated by K'Von Wallace's helmet-on-helmet hit.
Hurts kept the Eagles alive by reaching over for a one-yard score after taking off for a 27-yard gain and Gainwell scurried in to make it interesting with the two-point conversion, only for the 49ers to get the first down they needed to kill off the game.
The 49ers welcome the Green Bay Packers to Levi's Stadium for Monday Night Football in Week Three, while the Eagles visit the Dallas Cowboys in an all-NFC East clash.
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