Wet win for Wentz, Birds
Even when they were sloppy, the Philadelphia Eagles won going away.
Carson Wentz tossed two touchdown passes, Jalen Mills had a pick-6 and the NFL-leading Eagles beat the winless San Francisco 49ers 33-10 on a rainy Sunday.
The Eagles (7-1) overcame a slow start on their way to a sixth straight win. The 49ers are 0-8 for the first time in franchise history.
“Offensively, we have to do better, but good teams find a way to win even when you play sluggish like we did,” Wentz said.
Wentz was 18 of 32 for 211 yards and one interception. He threw a 53-yard TD pass to Alshon Jeffery and 1-yard TD pass to Zach Ertz. The second-year pro leads
the NFL with 19 TD passes, most by an Eagles quarterback through eight games.
C.J. Beathard shoveled a 21-yard TD pass to Matt Breida and finished 17 of 36 for 167 yards with two interceptions in his second career start.
“C.J. was battling,” Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said. “He was in tough situations. He never shied away from anything.”
The Eagles punted on six of their first eight possessions before opening it up in the third quarter.
Wentz hit Jeffery with a perfect pass to extend the lead to 27-7. After Derek Barnett blocked Robbie Gould’s field goal, the Eagles drove 62 yards and LeGarrette Blount ran in from the 12 for a 33-7 lead.
“It’s not the way the offense wanted to play,” Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson said. “We came out slow and didn’t execute. I’m just glad we battled because every game is not going to be perfect or look good. But we found a way to win and that’s what teams do.”
The 49ers lost five straight games by a field goal or less before Dallas routed them 40-10 last week.
“We’re a young team with a new coaching staff,” Beathard said. “This is where you find out a lot about guys when you’re 0-8. How do you act and how do you react?”
They stayed close until Wentz’s TD pass to Ertz was followed by Mills’ interception. Mills picked Beathard’s pass at the 37 and ran it back, zig-zagging his way to the end zone. Wentz connected with Jeffery on a 2-point conversion to make it 17-0.
FOLES PLAYS » The lopsided score allowed coach Doug Pederson to give Wentz the final six minutes off and let backup Nick Foles see his first action since returning to the Eagles. Foles led Philadelphia to the NFC East title in 2013 and was traded to the Rams in 2015. He didn’t throw a pass Sunday. CALLING OFFENSIVE LINEMEN » Shanahan said tight end Garrett Celek was the emergency tackle after starters Joe Staley and Garry Gilliam left with injuries. Gilliam already was filling in for Trent Brown.
GOING DEEP » Wentz already has five TD passes of at least 50 yards this season. Six is the most in a season in team history.
LEG STRENGTH » Eagles rookie Josh Elliott kicked a 51-yarder to set a singleseason, franchise-record with five field goals of 50plus yards. Elliott, a fifthround pick by the Bengals, was signed off Cincinnati’s practice squad when Caleb Sturgis was injured in Week 1. But Elliott was 1 for 3 on extra points after making his first 17 tries.
BROTHERLY LOVE » After he scored, Ertz flipped the ball to two-time American League MVP Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. Trout, who grew up in nearby Millville, New Jersey, is a die-hard Eagles fan who sits in the first row on the field behind an end zone. Wentz gave him a football after a TD pass during a game last season.
PURPOSE PITCH » Following Jeffery’s TD, Ertz pretended to start a brawl by hitting Jeffery with a pitch (football) as the players continued to celebrate by playing baseball. Ertz was the pitcher, Jeffery was the batter and Wentz was the catcher. INJURIES » 49ers: LT Staley (eye), RT Gilliam (knee), DL Solomon Thomas (knee), WR Pierre Garcon (neck), DL C.J. Jones (knee), FS Jimmie Ward (forearm) and RT Garry Gilliam (knee) didn’t finish the game. Eagles: CB Patrick Robinson (head) left the game in the second quarter.