The Philadelphia Eagles (0-2-1, 0-1 away) travel to the West Coast to take on the San Francisco 49ers (2-1, 0-1 home) in an NFC showdown on Sunday Night Football. The Eagles will be searching for their first victory of the season while the 49ers are looking to win their third-straight.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 P.M. Eastern at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. San Francisco is a seven-and-a-half point favorite in the nightcap, according to oddsmakers.
What to Know – Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia enters the fourth week of play still searching for its first win of the season after losses to the Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Rams in Weeks 1 and 2, and ending in a tie last weekend against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Eagles sit a half-game out of last place NFC East standings. Thankfully for Philadelphia, the rest of the division has struggled as well, and the Eagles are also only a half-game out of first.
Quarterback Carson Wentz has statistically been one of the worst signal-callers in the league early on in the season. Wentz sports the lowest passer rating (63.9) and has committed the most turnovers (7). He has completed 79-of-132 yards for 737 and three touchdowns passing on the year and has two rushing scores to boot.
After missing the opener, running back Miles Sanders has looked good when given the opportunity. He has carried the ball 38 times for 190 yards and one touchdown. Sanders also adds an element as a receiver, catching seven passes for 48 yards.
Wentz looks to his tight ends when he drops back to throw. Dallas Goedert (13 catches, 138 yards, one touchdown) and Zach Ertz (15 catches, 130 yards, one touchdown) have led the Philly receiving core.
On defense, the Eagles are surrendering 330 yards of total offense, which ranks fifth in the league; however, the 29 points per game rank near the bottom of the NFL. Linebacker Nathan Gerry leads the unit with 25 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for a loss.
What to Know – San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco opened the season with a narrow loss to the Arizona Cardinals, but followed that up with victories over the New York Jets and Giants. The 49ers will again be without starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and starting running back Raheem Mostert.
The 49ers are tied with the Cardinals and Rams at 2-1, but trail Seattle for first place in the NFC West, which may be the best division in the NFL right now.
With Garoppolo sidelined, Nick Mullens will make his second start of the season. Mullens played well in his first start last week, completing 25-of-36 passes for 343 yards and one score. Mullens saw significant playing time two years ago when Garoppolo missed time.
Jerick McKinnon will carry the load at running back with the loss of Mostert. McKinnon has accounted for 139 yards on 20 carries with one score rushing. He has also been utilized out of the backfield as a receiver, catching six passes for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Deebo Samuel and George Kittle are expected to play this weekend after both missed time due to injury. Kendrick Bourne has ten catches for 164 yards as the only receiver to not miss time this season.
The 49ers defense is second in the league in points per game, allowing 15.3, and third in total yards at 304. Veteran linebacker Fred Warner captains the defense and has accumulated 28 tackles with one interception.
The Pick is In
Nick Mullens has played and performed well in his previous starts for the 49ers. San Francisco is banged up offensively but will continue to put one of the better defenses in the league on the field. Carson Wentz looked bad against easier opponents, and the schedule only gets harder for Philly.
Take the home squad in this one to win and cover the (-7.5) spread.
