Sunday’s thrilling comeback victory on the road vs. the Philadelphia Eagles was a huge statement game in so many ways for the 3-1 San Francisco 49ers. On the road in arguably the most hostile environment in the NFL the offensive line and QB Alex Smith would be challenged all day. The offense had to do better on 3rd downs something very tough to do vs a strong Philadelphia defensive backfield that features 3 pro bowl Cornerbacks. Not to mention the defense had to contain QB Michael Vick and the Eagles stable of playmakers not an easy day for the 49ers.

I had the good fortunes of being in attendance in Philadelphia along with me went my wife and a notepad (I’m a hopeless romantic). Here some key takeaways from the game. Don’t forget to comment at the end and share your observations of the 49ers week 4 game.

Andy Lee is Human: 49er fans have grown accustomed to having one of the leagues top punters for quite some time now and I cannot remember Lee having a game this bad. Lee shanked his first 2 punts giving the Eagles good starting field position on their first 2 possessions. Lee was visibly upset on the filed and on the sidelines after both kicks.

Jim Harbaugh is EXTREMELY active on the sidelines: I absolutely loved watching Jim during warm-ups and after each and every possession. He’s one of the first go congratulate the players, he talks to Alex Smith and even the other QBs ALOT. Talks to the other coaches all the time and is out on the field in the referees ears all game long. I thought this was Harbaugh’s strongest game as an NFL head coach. He did a great job with is 2nd half adjustments, made some gutsy calls late in the game and threw the challenge flag and used his timeouts wisely.
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So there I was after shelling out over $300 for a pair of tickets sitting with my wife a devoted Eagles fan on our wedding anniversary as our teams squared off.  I hoped for a close game, an exciting game, one we could remember and at the end of the day hopefully a 49ers victory.  My last experience wasn’t such a good one  the first half felt like déjà vu, my choice to attend this game had me almost depressed about my decision.  Everything was going wrong for the 49ers even Punter Andy Lee had shanked his first 2 punts seemingly in an effort to avoid the Eagles explosive Return man Deshaun Jackson.  Kicker David Akers in his return to Philadelphia missed a chip shot on the 49ers first possession after an impressive opening drive that would have put the 49ers on top 3-0.

 It looked like a day where the 49ers wouldn’t catch any breaks.  The passrush looked good, we got to the QuarterBack Michael Vick and would have had alot more sacks if it had been any other QB in the pocket.  Only it was Vick back there and he used his super human ahtletisism and speed to dodge 49er defenders and almost always turned a would be sack into a long gain for the Eagles.  The Eagles team speed with Vick and Receivers Jackson and Jeremy Maclin looked to be a huge problem for the team as the secondary gave up big play after big play through the air.

The second half was a different story all together….
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Check out my answers over at Inside the Iggles.  Enjoy!

Q. With Michael Vick leaving two of the three games this season due to injury is the offensive line a weakness for the Eagles?

There is little doubt that the offensive line of this team is a serious concern.  After last week’s game, Vick expressed concerns toward the officials about being on the ground after nearly every throw. While it’s true he may not get the calls thy other quarterbacks are, his ire should really be directed at the group protecting him.  The tackles have played well and the Eagles have run the ball efficiently, but the interior linemen has been mediocre at best.

Q. If Vick does get hurt during the game on Sunday, do Eagles fans have faith in either Vince Young or Mike Kafka to lead the team to victory?

It’s gotta be Young. Mike Kafka could one day prove to be a valuable commodity, but today isn’t that day. Young’s athletic ability and experience should give the Eagles confidence in the event Vick goes down again.

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