The 1-2 San Francisco 49ers try to get their first win in Levi’s Stadium this Sunday as they welcome the 3-0 Philadelphia Eagles to Santa Clara. After opening the season with a win in Dallas, the 49ers dropped their home opener to Chicago and lost in Arizona last week to drop to 1-2. The Eagles started the season with comeback wins against Jacksonville and Indianapolis and then won a shootout last week at home against the Redskins.
A key matchup this week will be the 49ers' receivers versus the Eagles' secondary. Michael Crabtree has caught 19 of his 22 targets and has a Wide Receiver Rating of 113.4. Our PFF Slot Performance data shows Anquan Boldin toward the top in both receptions (13) and catch rate (92.9%). Add in Stevie Johnson’s seventh-ranked +3.0 receiving grade and the return of Vernon Davis and you have a complete receiving corps.
Brandon Boykin is the Eagles' top corner and his +2.7 coverage grade ranks just outside the Top 10. Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher on the other hand have coverage grades of -3.7 and -3.9, respectively, and rank 86th and 87th out of all cornerbacks.
Here are a few other players to keep an eye on:
Philadelphia Eagles
Fletcher Cox – His nine stops and 12.7% Run Stop Percentage rank third out of all 3-4 defensive ends and his +3.0 run grade ranks fourth.
LeSean McCoy – Our top-graded running back of 2013 at +27.3 is currently struggling with a -4.1 overall grade.
Malcolm Jenkins – He is currently our seventh-ranked safety at +4.6 and quarterbacks currently have only a 58.4 rating when throwing his way.
San Francisco 49ers
Justin Smith – His eight total pressures gives him a Pass Rush Productivity rating of 8.1 and his +7.4 grade overall ranks fifth out of all 3-4 ends.
Ahmad Brooks – In 2013, his grading included dominant games and poor games and lacked consistency. This year has started the same with grades of -3.5, -0.2, and +1.4.
Daniel Kilgore – His +3.8 overall grade ranks sixth out of all centers. Kilgore and Nick Mangold are the only two centers left to still have a 100% Pass Blocking Efficiency rating.
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