49ers vs. Eagles: Full San Francisco Week 8 grades and analysis

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 29: Derek Barnett #96 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after LeGarrette Blount #29 of the Philadelphia Eagles is tackled for a loss in the first quarter during their game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 29, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Defensive Grades

Philadelphia gained the momentum in the second quarter, thanks to two key plays from San Francisco.

The first, a one-yard touchdown pass from Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz to tight end Zach Ertz, followed a pass-interference call on Niners cornerback Dontae Johnson, which was enforced on the 1-yard line.

Philly’s second touchdown score came off a pick-six interception thrown by quarterback C.J Beathard, which Eagles corner Jalen Mills ran back 37 yards. Aside from those two plays, though, San Francisco’s defense did a decent job holding Philadelphia from dominating on the offensive side of the ball.

San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

Defensive Line

It’s weird to think players like Tony McDaniel and Leger Douzable would be among the key standouts for San Francisco’s defensive line. But they were.

Douzable led all Niners defensive linemen with five solo tackles, including two sacks on the day.

Overall, the 49ers brought down Wentz for a sack three times, while also holding the Eagles running game to an average of 3.6 yards per attempt.

This might be the best positional group the Niners have in spite of the injuries here. Like first-round draftee Solomon Thomas (knee).

Grade: A

Linebacker

Not having Reuben Foster hurt San Francisco’s chances, and one might start to wonder about his injury history being a long-term concern.

While it’s weird to think, backup linebacker Brock Coyle actually had a decent showing in Foster’s stead. He finished with seven tackles and was frequently used by defensive coordinator Robert Saleh on blitz packages that were largely effective.

The game also marked the first time former safety Eric Reid saw full-time action at linebacker, often rotating with fellow LB Ray-Ray Armstrong. Reid seems better suited to play closer to the line of scrimmage anyway, so the move makes sense to keep him there.

Grade: B

Secondary

Just like almost every other position, the Niners secondary had some injury shakeups. The biggest, of course, was losing free safety Jimmie Ward to a forearm injury. He was replaced by the rookie, Adrian Colbert.

Perhaps the biggest news, though, was seeing rookie cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon start in place of an increasingly ineffective and penalty-prone Rashard Robinson.

SANTA CLARA, CA – AUGUST 19: Ahkello Witherspoon #41 of the San Francisco 49ers stands on the sidelines during their game against the Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium on August 19, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

It’s a good thing, as Witherspoon recorded his first NFL interception, which led to San Francisco’s first points on the following offensive possession. The rookie was burned by Eagles wideout Alshon Jeffery, however, although that’s something to be expected from a first-year pro starting his first game.

If fellow corner Dontae Johnson didn’t commit that pass-interference penalty on Eagles wideout Torrey Smith, this unit would have had its best game of the season.

Grade: B