loafoftatupu":q8qpca1p said:
hawknation2014":q8qpca1p said:
I'm crossing my fingers that they spiral out of control as these early season losses mount.
1-2 could easily become 1-3 if the Eagles start stronger than they have.
Here is the rest of their schedule until Aldon returns:
Kansas City
@ St. Louis
@ Denver
St. Louis
@ New Orleans
I see at least two more losses in that five. I predicted before the season that they would be 5-4 after the first nine games.
The thing is that having Smith back isn't the key for them to me. For me it is Bowman coming back healthy. Bowman helps them in ways that Smith can't and is effective against both the pass and run. His speed, especially laterally is a huge part of his game. The guy makes everyone around him a better player. To me, Smith is a liability in the run game (against the Hawks at least) he can be blocked by a decent TE and gets frustrated easily.
Bowman is far more important IMHO. If he comes back and isn't the same guy the Niners will hurt from it, but 70 percent of Bowman is still probably better than most starting LBers. My favorite non Seahawk football player without a doubt.
The difference is when Aldon comes back, he's presumably going to be 100% from the word go, just like he was when he came back from rehab last season. Bowman is still going to be rounding himself into shape when he gets back, and even then it may take him a few more months to return to pre-injury form.
Their rushing defense is still in the Top 10 . . . however, only six teams have fewer sacks than the 49ers defense right now. They have allowed more passing TDs than anyone except Philadelphia and Jacksonville. And they have the worst third down defense in the league-- allowing an astonishing 51.6% of conversions on 3rd down.
Their third down defense in particular is a lot better when they're able to generate consistent pressure. That's why missing Aldon is going to be huge for them in these next six games, including Sunday's. Nick Foles is a statue that crumbles when you successfully generate pressure, but when you give him time to stand in the pocket, he has the accuracy to pick you apart.