The San Francisco 49ers defense came up big again in Week 2 to help them walk away with a 27-20 win in Philadelphia against the Eagles. The Eagles were able to move the ball as they accumulated 258 total offensive yards, but 3 timely interceptions by the ball-hawing 49ers defense kept the Eagles from scoring, while giving their offense more opportunities. Veteran SS Jimmie Ward made plays all over the field as he lead the team with 7 TAK, 1 TFL, and 1 INT. QB Trey Lance and the offense didn’t have the performance they’d hoped for, but there were some notable improvements from Week 2. One being that they were able to get into the endzone this week. Lance kept it to only one INT and was able to run the ball in for a TD. Rookie RB Elijah Mitchell was once again a major contributor with his 61 rushing yards, 22 receiving yards, and 2 TDs. WR Deebo Samuel, TE George Kittle, and WR Brandon Aiyuk also contributed with their 83, 52, and 33 receiving yards respectively.
The 49ers are going to be tested in Week 3 as they’ll be hosting the Green Bay Packers in their home opener.
The defense will have their hands full trying to keep the Pro Bowl combination of QB Aaron Rodgers and WR Devante Adams from taking over. They’re not going to be able to sell out on the pass either, as the Packers also have Pro Bowl RB Aaron Jones in the backfield. And they’ll be passing and running behind one of the best offensive lines in the game, anchored by Pro Bowl LT David Bakhtiari. The 49ers defense really needs to be able to pressure Rodgers, while keeping the run game contained, so they’ll be looking at DE Nick Bosa and the 49ers front seven to have a huge game.
The offense will also be contending with a multitude of superstars and Pro Bowlers on the Packers defense, lead by one of the best corners playing right now, Jaire Alexander. OLB Za’Darius Smith will be looking to pressure rookie QB Trey Lance all day, so he’ll need to make quick decisions. And with CB Alexander lurking in the secondary, he’ll have play smart and minimize taking risks. The young QB has shown incremental improvements so far, but in order to walk away with the win against the Green Bay Packers and their prolific offense, he’s going to have to take a big leap this week. Fellow rookie RB Elijah Mitchell will need to continue to be productive to help keep it manageable for his QB