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ANOTHER Thrilla In South Phila, last week. Down ten at the half, our Eagles battled back and won the game, with a walk-off touchdown by Mr. Clutch, QB Jalen Hurts. It was almost unfair. I practically knew it was in the bag. The world was on fire, and I sat calmly watching, while shelling and eating pecans.

When the shit hit the fan, we didn’t point fingers. We didn’t flinch. We shut our mouths, and we got to work. Eventually we climbed out of the hole we’d dug ourselves, and reached the peak called ‘Victory’.

This week’s opponent isn’t built like us. Talking is the thing they do best. Followed by whining. Followed by complaining. Eventually, if you go far enough down the list, I hear that they’re supposed to be good at playing football.

A win and we go to 11 – 1, maintaining a two game lead in the NFC East. (It’s too early to get wrapped up in other scenarios, just yet.)

A loss would stall us at 10 – 2. We’d still have a one game lead in the East, but it would be a lot easier to encroach on our turf.

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The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the 49ers

1) Impose Our Will By Running: By running, I mean handing the ball off. I get a feeling in my gut that they’re going to try to hurt our QB, and I don’t think we should hand them extra opportunities to do so. The Eagles like RB D’Andre Swift to top out around 14 carries, so 15 or more would be a great way to take hits off of Hurts.

We have a massive and powerful Offensive Line. We should be unleashing it early and often. The 9ers are a bit undersized up front, and their D-line is the source of their pass rush. So we should beat on them early, to tire their pass rushers out late.

2) Take Away Short, Quick Throws: Using more Man-Press on the corners, and bumping their TE at the line, would be great. Anything to get their QB to hold the ball just a second or two longer. Also, would it kill LB Nick Morrow (or anybody) to unleash a vicious hit on someone running across the middle?

3) Go Deep, Early: We need to clear space underneath for the run game. The best way to do that quickly, is to test the 49ers commitment to stopping our deep passing game. The sooner we create that space underneath, the easier the entire game will be for our Offense.

If the last few games are any indicator, WR A.J. Brown will see heavy double-team action for most of the day. If that holds true, then run Brown on Slant routes, and let WR Devonta Smith and WR Quez Watkins be the deep options.

4) Set the Edges: The 9ers are going to use a lot of pre-snap movement, in order to confuse us. Our guys need to stay in our lanes, trust the scheme, and their teammates. If our DE’s set the edges of the line, it makes it easier for our LB’s to read, and fill their run gaps. No need to play undisciplined football.

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If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…

Months ago I predicted this to be a loss for our Eagles. Today I’m not so sure. And I LOVE that.

After the Eagles dominated in the NFC Championship game, the 49ers ran around screaming and crying like Michael Jackson filming a Pepsi commercial. (Look it up.)

The 9ers talked shit in the national media for months, even alluding to this up-coming game between us. It was clear that they’d built this game up into their Super Bowl. Meanwhile for us, it would just be another game. With the 9ers being so much more invested in this game since March, it was easy to see them winning this game.

They more or less went silent once the season started. Until this last week or so. Once again they’re running their mouths. This time though, it’s a little different. Eagles players have shown some annoyance over that, with some clapping back essentially “Come onnnnnn, wit’ it!”

The Eagles are 10 – 1. Playing at home. On a hot streak defeating quality opponents, yet it’s us that gets labeled (in gambling) as the underdog vs an 8 – 3 team. So the Eagles may be feeling just a tad disrespected. And what better way to dismiss that feeling, than grinding an opponent like the 9ers, under our boot heel.

I expect a good old-fashioned street fight. I expect fighting. Maybe an ejection. I expect to lose a player for the season. (Whether it’s an Eagle or a 49er remains to be seen.) I expect my six pack of Pepto Bismol to still not do the job. This should be a a good one.

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WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.