A View From San Francisco with Grant Cohn
If you’ve ever been, you know the views in San Francisco are fantastic.
This is a different view, one from 49ers beat writer Grant Cohn, the publisher of All49ers for SI Fan Nation.
Cohn was asked five questions, a mix of 49ers and Eagles, to get a better understanding for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field.
EAGLES TODAY: Is Brock Purdy the real deal and why has he been able to step in and go 7-0?
COHN: Purdy absolutely is the real deal. He's a damn good quarterback and he will be the 49ers' starter next season. Here's why:
He manages the game like a veteran and generally doesn't make mental mistakes. But he also has an underrated ability to escape pressure, extend plays and make big throws rolling left or right. This is key for him, because he's small and gets engulfed inside collapsing pockets. Meaning he needs space to throw, and he creates his own space surprisingly well, as opposed to Jimmy Garoppolo, who was a sitting duck in the pocket.
EAGLES TODAY: How do you see the 49ers handling the Eagles’ RPO game, with Jalen Hurts at the controls?
COHN: I'm guessing the 49ers are more worried about the Eagles' deep passing game, because the secondary is the biggest weakness on the 49ers defense, and it has given up lots of long catches during the past month. Their linebackers - Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw - both are elite in coverage. It's extremely difficult to dink and dunk down the field for touchdowns multiple times against the 49ers. The Eagles will have more success running zone reads, because the 49ers fast-flowing linebackers can blow assignments when they're forced to be patient.
EAGLES TODAY: What makes Nick Bosa so dangerous?
COHN: He's off the charts in terms of speed, strength, technique and motor, which is why he's the No. 1 edge rusher in the league. But he expended so much energy to try to break the single-season sack record, that now he seems a bit tired, as he has recorded just one sack in the past four games. In addition, he has a tendency to overrun the quarterback in the pocket and give up scramble lanes, which hurts the 49ers against mobile quarterbacks.
EAGLES TODAY: What have you seen from afar about the development of Jalen Hurts?
COHN: He looks much more confident and decisive this season than last, and maybe that's because he has improved, or maybe it's because the team around him has gotten better. A.J. Brown clearly has elevated the offense from what it was last season. Still, the 49ers have such a difficult time containing mobile quarterbacks, and Hurts ran all over them last season. He's a bad matchup for them.
EAGLES TODAY: Prediction. Who wins and why?
COHN: These teams are so good and so well coached and generally don't beat themselves. I expect both Brock Purdy and Jalen Hurts to play well and avoid turnovers, but I also expect this game to be a defensive battle. Hurts and Purdy are young and dealing with more pressure than they've ever experienced. Meanwhile, both will face fantastic defenses that will make life extremely difficult for them. Last week, the 49ers scored just 19 points even though the Cowboys turned the ball over twice and gave them good field position. This week, the 49ers will have to work even harder to score points on the road, and I expect they'll lose 20-16.
You can follow Grant Cohn on Twitter at @GrantCohn and subscribe to his YouTube channel: http://tinyurl.com/y9nk238v
