SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Observed and heard in the locker room after the Philadelphia Eagles' 26-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers:
A lot of Eagles fans were thinking it: After LeSean McCoy's 5-yard run got the team to the doorstep, why have Nick Foles throw on the remaining two downs? Why not a run? Coach Chip Kelly thought the Eagles caught the 49ers off guard with one run, but they wouldn't get lucky twice. "We hadn't run the ball that well all day long," Kelly said. "I was just trying to put it in the quarterback's hands. ... I wanted to get him away from the rush."
This was the last game of right tackle Lane Johnson's suspension, which will help the Eagles' offensive line. But Kelly doesn't know in what kind of shape Johnson will report, and he's still missing left guard Evan Mathis and center Jason Kelce. "We got whooped up front," Kelly said.
The Eagles took some comfort in the fact they still had a chance at the end, despite their offense not scoring a single point. "I think it's encouraging," said safety Malcolm Jenkins, who scored a touchdown on an interception return. "I don't think anyone looks at this game and lets it affect their confidence. You're playing a good team on the road, and you're still one play away. We have that one play somewhere in this locker room."
