49ers Drop to 0-8; No Offense, Plenty of Injuries

On a rainy Philadelphia day, the San Francisco 49ers were looking to break free of the black cloud that's been hanging over them.

The result was a brutal 33-10 loss, the first time in team history the 49ers start a season 0-8.

A series of critical injuries, a non-existent run game, and an inability to sustain drives contributed to the blowout.

The 49ers started the morning by listing rookie linebacker Reuben Foster and veteran tackle Trent Brown as inactive. Foster suffered a rib injury against Dallas and Brown had a concussion.

The injury train gained passengers from there.

"We were down... lost some guys, lost them pretty early. It's a huge challenge when you have guards playing tackle," said head coach Kyle Shanahan.

Safety Jimmie Ward went out early with an arm injury, which was later confirmed as a broken forearm. Tackle Garry Gilliam also went down in the first quarter with a knee injury.

Fortunately, the 49ers activated rookie offensive lineman Erik Magnuson for the first time in his career. He later replaced veteran Joe Staley at tackle in the second quarter after Staley sustained a deep cut under his eye from a blindside block by Eagles' defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.

Shanahan said that the swelling around Staley's eye kept him out of the remainder of the game. Staley would be examined for a broken orbital.

Rookie defensive lineman Soloman Thomas went out in the second half with a knee injury, as did rookie defensive lineman D.J. Jones. Wide receiver Pierre Garçon hurt his neck in the second quarter and did not return.

Throughout the first half, the 49ers' defense played well enough to keep the score within range. Defensive lineman Leger Douzable, released by the 49ers on September 1 and resigned on October 17, had five tackles and two sacks to lead the unit.

Despite the final score, the 49ers held the Eagles to 112 yards on the ground, keeping Philadelphia running backs to 3.6 yards per rush. The secondary kept Eagles' quarterback Carson Wentz in check, holding him to 211 yards and two touchdown passes.

"We had to get them out there too many times, they were carrying us most of the game, which eventually... they got the best of us there at the end," said Shanahan.

Rookie defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon, starting over Rashard Robinson, notched a big interception in the third quarter and returned the ball to the Eagles' 21-yard line.

The 49ers' offense capitalized on the interception and put a touchdown on the board. Beathard dropped back and dished a quick shovel pass to rookie running back Matt Breida who ran the ball 21 yards for his first NFL touchdown.

"I thought our guys came out there and competed in the second half. The defense gave us some juice with Ahkello getting that interception," said Shanahan.

Beathard's shovel pass was the highlight of the afternoon for the offense. He finished the day 17-for-36, for 167 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Beathard also led the team in rushing with 40 yards on six carries.

The 49ers were 3-for-15 on third down and only had 94 yards rushing against the second-best run defense in the NFL.

The rainy weather impacted some of Beathard's throws, adding to the paltry 3.6 yard gain per pass play.

"Sometimes you'd get the ball off the ground from the center, and it'd be wetter than normal," said C.J. Beathard.

The Eagles' defense was in the 49ers' backfield most of the game, sacking Beathard four times and knocking him to the ground over 20 times.

"I'm sure tomorrow I'll be awfully sore. Overall, there are some nicks and bruises, but I think I came out healthy," said Beathard.

After traveling four times in the last five weeks, the 49ers are at home next week against the Arizona Cardinals.