SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- A few thoughts on the Philadelphia Eagles' 26-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium:
What it means: Trends don't last forever. Like bell-bottom pants, the Eagles' and 49ers' second-half disparity looks like ancient history after this one. The Eagles had dominated second halves, while the Niners hadn't scored a touchdown after halftime. That ended when tight end Zach Ertz fumbled the ball away at the 23-yard line, and nine players later, Colin Kaepernick found Stevie Johnson just inside the end zone for a score. San Francisco scored on its next possession and took the lead for good. But bigger problems hampered the Eagles: LeSean McCoy just can't get going, and quarterback Nick Foles was erratic all game. Foles engineered one good drive, but it ended just shy of the end zone. And his last-ditch effort ended with an interception.
Stock watch: You don't want to downgrade Chip Kelly too much after one loss, but this was worrisome. This was a playoff-caliber opponent on the road -- the kind of game you have to win in January -- and the Eagles' offense was completely overwhelmed. Kelly has shown a knack for solving problems, but this made four weeks in a row without McCoy having an impact. And yes, obviously, the offensive line injuries are a factor. Philadelphia's defense looked better -- getting pressure on Kaepernick was key -- but wasn't able to clamp down and hold on to a 21-10 lead.
Happy returns: The Eagles got three first-half touchdowns without their offense managing to come close to the end zone. Backup tight end Trey Burton blocked an Andy Lee punt in the end zone. Brad Smith recovered for the touchdown. Safety Malcolm Jenkins' 53-yard interception return and Darren Sproles' career-long 82-yard punt return provided the rest of the Eagles' first-half points. The Eagles needed their offense to get cranked up in the second half, but it never did show up.
Game ball: During training camp, safety Malcolm Jenkins said one of his goals this season was to create more turnovers. His third interception, which made one in each of the past three games, went for a 53-yard touchdown. Mission accomplished.
What's next: The Eagles (3-1) can get back into control of the NFC East with two home games -- against St. Louis next week and the Giants after that -- before their bye week. The biggest challenge for the Eagles will be accepting they aren't going undefeated and getting back to business as usual as soon as possible. The Rams (1-2) should help them on that front.
