The Niners went into their matchup with the Eagles badly in need of a big win after enduring rumors and intrigue this week surrounding Jim Harbaugh’s hold on his team, the locker room and his job.
Kids David Pastrnak Jersey
The San Francisco defense came up big for Harbs, suffocating a previously explosive Eagles offense to the tune of 213 total yards and 3.8 yards per play. The Eagles, who led the NFL in rushing last season, could only manage 22 yards on 12 rushes. Nick Foles looked out of rhythm and out of sorts all game, throwing two picks while passing for 195 yards on 21 of 43 attempts (48 percent). Could this be a jumpstart for a San Francisco defense that has struggled early on this season?
Elite Kids Matt McGloin Jersey
As for the Niners’ offense, the run game clicked on all cylinders as they went for 218 yards on 42 attempts, but the passing game was a mixed bag. Colin Kaepernick continued to flash with brilliant plays, only to contrast them with ugly throws and poor clock management.
Kap went from making a brilliant improvisational throw like this …
The Bills didn’t get much help from their sophomore quarterback. Manuel made a clutch play to find Mike Williams for an 80-yard touchdown that pulled the Bills within three points of the Texans, 20-17, in the fourth quarter. Take out that play, however, and Manuel managed just 145 yards passing on 43 attempted passes — that’s 3.37 yards per attempt.
The Bills’ defensive performance was strong, if not up to the Texans’ standards. The Texans’ running game was anemic, and though Ryan Fitzpatrick was more efficient than Manuel, he wasn’t necessarily more effective. Fitzpatrick threw just one touchdown to two interceptions.
The Bills didn’t have Watt, however. The former Wisconsin walk-on was perhaps the biggest game changer in the NFL on the day.
Watt was everywhere on the day. Though he didn’t record a sack, he racked up seven quarterback hits as part of the Texans 16 on the day. Watt must be game planned for, as much as any player in the league. If we were to give the MVP trophy at the quarter-season mark, Watt would be given serious consideration.