In Week 13, the San Francisco 49ers will face the Philadelphia Eagles, hoping to improve to 9-3 and close the gap on the No. 1 spot in the NFC.
Philadelphia has been on a tear to open the season, going 10-1 with victories over the Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, and Buffalo Bills. In Week 6, they were defeated by the New York Jets.
The Eagles have the league’s third-best scoring offense with 28.2 points per game, because to their RPO-related scheme’s effectiveness and aggressiveness.
The Eagles’ boldness has been underlined further, as they convert 1.2 fourth downs per game, the second-most in the NFL, while converting on 76.5 percent of those attempts.
While head coach Nick Sirianni is known for his tenacity, the Eagles have also refined the “tush push” play, better known as the quarterback sneak, which has seen tremendous success with Jalen Hurts at the helm.
How will the 49ers prepare for that play ahead of their Week 13 game?
Head coach Kyle Shanahan disclosed to reporters on Wednesday that the team does not train defending the play, instead hoping that players grasp their duties and execute as well as they can.
“No, you don’t practice it,” Shanahan said of the defense. “You just coach it up, tell them where we want guys and stuff like that.” We’re not going to spend a lot of time on it, but we’ll talk about it, demonstrate it, and do our best.”
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What is the greatest approach to defend against that play? Keeping the Eagles out of short-distance situations so the 49ers don’t have to worry about remaining on the field for long stretches.
“First and foremost, you want to keep him out of those situations.” “I know it’s possible to stop, but I think it’s pretty proven that it’s extremely difficult, so you try to keep him out of those situations,” Shanahan said of Hurts’s success with the “Brotherly Shove.”
While the Eagles have done a good job of balancing their playbook, Shanahan believes the key to defeating them is to not let setbacks break the squad and to take advantage of every opportunity.
“They do an excellent job of balancing everything out with drop-backs, play-actions, RPOs, quarterback run game, and regular run game.” As a result, staying ahead of them in terms of who has the chalk last is very impossible. “They have a lot of answers in their run game and stuff, which could put him in some good situations,” Shanahan said.
“You have to be able to weather the storm when they come for you.” Allow it to be a first down rather than a touchdown. Play with great discipline and soundness, and don’t pass up opportunities to make plays.”
This weekend will be a difficult test for the 49ers, but it will be essential for their playoff seeding.Re
