Five Takeaways From the 49ers' 25-20 Week 5 Loss Against Eagles
0-2-1.
That was the Philadelphia Eagles' record going into their Week 4 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. It was just last week that the Eagles were playing for a tie with the Cincinnati Bengals.
They looked in shambles and were poised to lose to the 49ers.
But it was role-reversal for these two teams.
Losing to the Eagles is inexcusable. Not even the injuries can be used for the 49ers. It was just an ugly performance all-around.
There is a lot to get into, so without further introduction, here are my five takeaways from the 49ers' 25-20 Week 5 loss against the Eagles.
49ers Need Jimmy Garoppolo
Is there still a quarterback controversy? Are there still people out there that believe Nick Mullens is better than Jimmy Garoppolo? There most likely isn't any left after the horrendous performance Mullens put on Sunday night. Mullens was a direct cause to the 49ers losing to the Eagles. Of course, the offensive line did him no favors and factored into his poor outing.
But had Garoppolo been out there, the 49ers would have managed much better. Garoppolo's quick release and toughness to stand in the pocket to deliver a pass is widely overlooked. Those unique traits that he excels at were desperately needed for the 49ers because Mullens was frightened from the very moment he stepped onto the field. Quite the drop off after I praised him as a starting-caliber quarterback.
Mike McGlinchey might be 49ers worst offensive lineman
What in the world is going on with offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey? He came into training camp slimmed down and leaner, which I initially thought would enhance his power and speed. But he right now looks like a major liability for the 49ers' offense and he just might be the team's worst offensive lineman. Daniel Brunskill has been just as bad, but he has an excuse at least. He spent all of training camp playing center just so the 49ers could field practice.
What is McGlinchey's excuse? Does he miss Joe Staley badly or something?
Whatever it is, he needs to clean up his messy play and fast. The interior offensive line is still the 49ers' Achilles heel. They cannot afford to have the entire offensive line perform like garbage week-in-and-week-out. If that becomes the case, then Garoppolo himself isn't enough to be the savior of the offense.
Raheem Mostert is not given enough credit
Watching the 49ers' ground attack the last two weeks has not been pretty. A large part of that is the failed execution of blocks by the offensive lineman, but the other large part is the running backs. No one has the adequate vision to bob and weave through the blocks and explode for a chunk play. This is where the 49ers miss Raheem Mostert greatly. He is not given enough credit.
No matter who the 49ers put back there, the running game is not at its peak unless Mostert is carrying the rock. He just makes the ground game GO for them, while the other running backs just keep the ship afloat. Much like with Garoppolo, I would expect Mostert to return in Week 5 against the Dolphins. Until he returns, the 49ers' run game will be lacking.
Javon Kinlaw is blossoming rapidly
Without offseason practices and preseason, the rookies all around the league were going to find their development slowed down. I personally did not see Javon Kinlaw start to dominate until about midseason and would not be an every down player.
Boy is he proving me wrong because he is blossoming rapidly into a dominating player.
This is a perfect situation for the 49ers who will be without Nick Bosa for the 2020 season. If Kinlaw can start to takeover games soon, then the defense will be close to what it was in 2019. Kinlaw just owns his opponent.
I believe the reason for his rapid development, aside from the phenomenal coaching of Kris Kocurek, is because the defense is playing more snaps than originally expected. That is thanks largely in part to the lack of ball control on the offensive side and not being able to get off the field on third-down. Pretty soon Kinlaw will be popping off for multi-sack games.
49ers have to go on a winning streak
Once the clock hit zero and the 49ers' loss to the Eagles was official, the final takeaway that ran through my mind was that this team has to go on a winning streak now. Both of their losses should have never happened as they now have put themselves in a hole. The Seahawks are currently 4-0 atop the division, while the 49ers are in last place at 2-2.
Seattle is showing no signs of slowing down, so the 49ers have to try to match them by ripping off win after win. They have to replicate what they did last season, which at this point is asking a lot from them. The schedule does not get much easier either once they finish up their matchup with the Dolphins in Week 5. It is not an ideal situation for the 49ers to be in as the margin for error is gone. They have to keep winning or else risk losing out on the NFC West title.
