Eagles 33, 49ers 10: Studs, duds, turning point and more

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BOX SCORE

The Eagles didn't play necessarily great for a lot of Sunday's game against the 49ers.

They didn't need to either.

Through the on-and-off rain, things eventually made sense. The Eagles eventually looked like the Super Bowl contender and the 49ers looked like one of the worst teams in the league.

The Birds rolled to a 33-10 win (see Roob's observations).

With the win, the Eagles improved to 7-1 at the halfway point and remain well in control of the NFC East and still have the best record in the NFL.

Meanwhile, the 49ers dropped to 0-8 for the first time in franchise history and are playing for the top overall pick for the second half of the season.

Say what you will about beating a winless team and one with a quarterback named C.J. Beathard, but sometimes those games can be hard to get pumped up for. The Eagles were able to take care of business Sunday afternoon.

The other side of that is the 49ers' offense absolutely stinks. They couldn't get anything going Sunday against the Eagles.

Carson Wentz and the Eagles' offense was far from dynamic, but they did enough to pull out a W (see report card). And the Eagles were up so much, Nick Foles got to finish the game.

This is the seventh time in franchise history the Eagles have seven wins in their first eight games and the first time since 2004.

The Eagles have scored 232 points this season. That's the fifth most in team history after eight games.

Turning point
The 49ers kept it close for a while, but when the Eagles scored two touchdowns late in the second quarter in a 17-second span, it put the game away.

Key stat
Wentz threw three 50-yard passes last season. He has six already this season. Five have gone for touchdowns.

Offensive stud
Zach Ertz caught a first-half touchdown pass and now has six on the season. His previous high for a season coming into this year was four. He's become a real threat in the red zone.

Offensive dud
Wendell Smallwood didn't get a whole lot of snaps Sunday. And the Eagles' offensive line had trouble protecting Wentz at times. Wentz, for his part, didn't have a very good game. He missed a few plays he should have had.

Defensive stud
The whole defense was pretty darn good, but Jalen Mills had the first pick-6 of his career. He pulled off a nifty 37-yard return to get into the end zone. The defensive line also punished Beathard all afternoon.

Defensive dud
Um.

Key plays
• LeGarrette Blount found some room and sprinted into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown to put the Eagles up 33-7.

• Derek Barnett blocked a field goal in the fourth quarter and recovered it himself (see rookie report).

• Alshon Jeffery made a nice grab over a defender and barreled through defenders on his way to a 53-yard touchdown to put the Eagles up 27-7.

• Wentz threw a terrible interception in the third quarter, and on the 49ers' second play Beathard threw a quick shovel pass to Matt Breida inside and Breida took it to the house for a 21-yard touchdown.

• Jake Elliott drilled a 51-yarder in the third quarter to put the Eagles up 20-0.

• Mills picked off a Beathard pass and returned it 37 yards, weaving in and out of players on his way to the end zone. It was the first touchdown of his career. The Eagles added a two-point conversion to make the score 17-0 at halftime.

• In the second quarter, on 3rd-and-15, Torrey Smith drew a defensive pass interference call to put the ball on the 1-yard line. Wentz hit Zach Ertz for a 1-yard touchdown but a missed extra point made the score 9-0.

• Rodney McLeod got his first interception of the season after Patrick Robinson hit Aldrick Robinson to pop the ball into the air.

• On the Eagles' first scoring drive, the big play came on a 15-yard pass from Wentz to Trey Burton. Elliott hit a 40-yarder to put them on the board first. 

Special teams watch
Elliott hit his fifth 50-plus-yard field goal, setting the Eagles' single-season record. He's done it in seven games. He did miss two extra points though.

Injuries
Ronald Darby (ankle) was inactive again. He has practiced in a limited fashion for the last two weeks but isn't ready to go.

Patrick Robinson left the game in the first half with a concussion. Linebackers coach Ken Flajole was injured on the sideline in the second quarter but was able to return.

Up next
The Eagles host the Broncos at the Linc next Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. That's the last game before their bye week.

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