Eagles collapse in 4th again as 49ers reach 3-1

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, center, and Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks Michael Vick, left, and...

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Team Stat Comparison

�	SF	PHI
1st Downs	22	23
Passing 1st downs	11	18
Rushing 1st downs	9	5
1st downs from Penalties	2	0
3rd down efficiency	5-12	5-13
4th down efficiency	0-0	0-0
Total Plays	61	68
Total Yards	442	513
Passing	278	405
Comp-Att	21-33	30-46
Yards per pass	8.4	8.8
Rushing	164	108
Rushing Attempts	25	20
Yards per rush	6.6	5.4
Red Zone (Made-Att)	2-3	2-7
Penalties	5-40	5-55
Turnovers	1	3
Fumbles lost	1	2
Interceptions thrown	0	1
Defensive / Special Teams TDs	0	0
Possession	28:52	31:08

Passing Leaders

San Francisco	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	NFL RATING
Smith	21/33	291	8.8	2	0	112.1
Philadelphia	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	NFL RATING
Vick	30/46	416	9.0	2	1	99.5

Rushing Leaders

San Francisco	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LG
Gore	15	127	8.5	1	40
Hunter	9	38	4.2	0	14
Philadelphia	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LG
Vick	8	75	9.4	0	24
McCoy	9	18	2.0	0	5

Research Notes

From Elias: The Eagles are the 4th team since 2000 to lose 3 straight games in which they led entering the 4th quarter in all of them, joining the 2006 Raiders, the 2009 Redskins, and the 2011 Vikings. The last team to lose 4 straight such games was the 1999 Saints.

NEXT LEVEL: The Eagles sent four or fewer pass rushers on 30 of 36 dropbacks (83.3 pct). Alex Smith went 18 for 28 for 247 yards and a touchdown in those situations. Coming into the game, Smith had the second fewest passing yards against fewer than five rushers in the NFL.

NEXT LEVEL: Michael Vick threw for a career-high 416 yards, including 171 yards to DeSean Jackson. Vick and Jackson had chemistry on throws of 15-plus yards downfield, connecting 4 times for 154 yards. Entering Sunday, they combined for only two completions on such throws.

NEXT LEVEL: Frank Gore found holes running up the middle, totaling 13 rushes for 109 yards on runs in that direction, including the game-winning touchdown. The Eagles interior run defense continues to be exposed. They entered Sunday allowing the most yards in the league on runs of the middle, and 6.2 yards per rush.

From Elias: Today is the 1st time in Eagles franchise history that they gained 500 yards of offense at home and lost.

The Eagles gave up a 20-point lead in Sunday's fourth-quarter collapse. It was the franchise's biggest blown lead in over a decade.

In the last three weeks, the Eagles have been dominated in the fourth quarter. They have been outscored 36-0 and have turned the ball over three times, without forcing one turnover themselves.

Michael Vick threw his 3rd interception of the season, he didn't throw his 3rd pick until Week 13 last season. He had 6 interceptions all of last season.

Jason Babin: 2 sacks today gives him 6 this season, almost halfway to last season's total (12.5) It's already the 2nd-most sacks he's had in a season in his career.

ESPN Stats & Information

PHILADELPHIA -- To Jim Harbaugh and Alex Smith, Sunday's stunning comeback victory was one for the road.

The San Francisco 49ers lauded last week's temporary home in eastern Ohio, and how comfortable they felt in the second half in Philadelphia, where they surged back from a 20-point deficit to win 24-23.

More From ESPN.com

The Eagles' problems run deep -- from attitude and effort to tackling -- and this "Dream Team" may not be able to wake up, writes Dan Graziano. Blog

"Thanks Youngstown, you've been good to us," Harbaugh said of his decision to keep the team in Ohio after its victory at Cincinnati last weekend. "That's as good a win as I can ever remember being a part of. I'm really proud of our players. They never flinched in a tough environment here, and there was no moment or circumstance that made them nervous in this ballgame. We kept fighting, made adjustments -- a great team victory for us."And a bitter disappointment for the Eagles (1-3), who wasted a splendid performance by Michael Vick, injured hand and all.Vick wasn't hampered by his bruised right hand -- he did injure a finger on his left hand in the first half -- throwing for a career-high 416 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 75 yards. But Philly's defense fell apart in the final 30 minutes, and Frank Gore capped a 77-yard drive with a 12-yard TD run with 3 minutes remaining."It's unacceptable to give up a lead that size in the second half," defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said. "If we don't win, we're just a bunch of talented people who haven't done anything, and there's a lot of teams like that."

Nightmare Team

In the last three weeks, the Eagles have been dominated in the fourth quarter. They have been outscored 36-0 and have turned the ball over three times, without forcing one turnover themselves.

Dominated in the 4th Quarter
Eagles In Last Three Weeks

	Eagles*	Opponents
Points	0	36
Total yds.	282	335
Turnovers	3	0
3rd-down conv.	2-8	9-14
* - Lost 3 straight games

powered by

The 49ers (3-1) are talented enough to lead the NFC West after breaking a five-game losing streak against Philadelphia. The much-maligned Smith went 13 for 17 for 201 yards in the second half, with TD passes of 30 yards to Josh Morgan and 9 to Vernon Davis. Then Gore, who didn't start because of a sprained right ankle, powered into the end zone, and former Eagles kicker David Akers converted the decisive extra point.Smith thought the stay in Youngstown, where the team's owners have roots, was a key to the win."I thought it was great," he said. "It helped us focus on football ... like a small training camp, spending a lot of time with teammates, and I think that means something."The victory meant plenty to Akers, who basically was discarded after 12 seasons in Philadelphia, where he's the career points leader. He made a 37-yard field goal, missed from 44 and had one blocked from 45.But he left the Linc with a huge smile on his face."To hit the last extra point, it's like hitting a 50-yard field goal," Akers said. "It still counts as one, but it puts you up."Vick couldn't have been more down. He wore a padded pink glove on his right hand all game, and wore a heavy frown after it."It's shocking. It's frustrating," Vick said, adding the Eagles need to have a "gut check."Some people have it and some people don't, but we're going to find out who's got it."

Give It Away, Give It Away

The Eagles gave up a 20-point lead in Sunday's fourth-quarter collapse. It was the franchise's biggest blown lead in over a decade.

Largest Blown Leads
Eagles Franchise History

Lead	Season	Opp.
23	1985	Vikings
21	1999	Cardinals
21	1945	Giants
20	2011	49ers

? from Elias Sports Bureau

Akers' replacement, rookie Alex Henery, missed from 39 and 33 yards in the final period. Philadelphia has been outscored 36-0 in the fourth quarter of its last three games, all losses. The team so lauded for its free agency haul after the lockout is in last place in the NFC East.San Francisco's comeback began after Akers' field-goal attempt was blocked and Henery soon after made a 32-yarder for a 23-3 lead.Harbaugh then allowed Smith to look downfield more, and the Niners needed just four plays to go 80 yards, including a 44-yard catch and run by rookie Kendall Hunter, who supplemented Gore perfectly. Morgan got wide open over the middle for his TD.Then Henery began missing kicks after Vick set him up with big plays. Philadelphia had 13 plays of at least 15 yards, including a 61-yard bomb to DeSean Jackson that was wasted when Henery missed from 39 yards.Davis' touchdown catch brought the Niners within six points late in the third quarter. When Henery failed from 33 yards, it was the final opening the 49ers needed.Gore had a 21-yard run on the 77-yard drive that ended with his powerful surge into the end zone. He finished with 127 yards rushing.Jeremy Maclin fumbled with 2:06 left and the Eagles driving for perhaps a winning score.Vick turned a seeming sack into a sensational touchdown in the first quarter. He was about to go down at the San Francisco 16 when rushed by Ahmad Brooks and Ray McDonald. Both had open shots at him, and both missed. Vick scrambled right and found Clay Harbor in the back right corner of the end zone to make it 7-0.Henery did make three field goals, from 32, 32 and 33 yards.Game notes
Eagles DE Trent Cole left in the fourth quarter with a right calf injury and will undergo an MRI on Monday. ... Smith finished 21 of 33 for 291 yards. ... Jason Babin was the only Philadelphia defender with much of an impact, getting three sacks to reach seven in four games. ... Jackson finished with 171 yards on six catches, but also had a key drop and deflected a pass that was intercepted, both on long throws. ... Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy, who led the NFC in rushing through three weeks, had only 18 yards on nine carries.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

news read sports news read football news read cricket news read golf news read baseball news read soccer news more sports news more football news more cricket news