49ers End Eagles Road Streak

Over and over again, the Philadelphia Eagles fell just a few inches short -- and the San Francisco 49ers' confidence grew with each dramatic stop. Derek Smith made two exceptional plays during a game-turning defensive stand in the fourth quarter, and Terrell Owens caught a 32-yard touchdown pass with 6:52 left as the 49ers beat Philadelphia 13-3 on Saturday. The Eagles' first road loss of the season came in a game of inches -- specifically, the handful of inches Philadelphia couldn't gain on six consecutive plays inside the 2 early in the fourth quarter.

"Nobody blinked," Smith said. "We got in there and kept stopping them. We've gone through some growing pains, but our defense has come along fantastically."

The 49ers' young defense finally won the battle of wills with an end-zone interception by Smith, their hard-hitting linebacker. Moments later, Jeff Garcia and Owens broke San Francisco's offense out of its doldrums with a scoring strike that clinched the game.

Playing for little more than playoff position, the 49ers (11-3) finished their home schedule 7-1 -- and greatly increased their chances of a home game in the playoffs.

"We haven't had a defensive stand like that," 49ers coach Steve Mariucci said. "It seemed like 100 plays. We just kept stuffing them and stuffing them. That can be very demoralizing for them. It shows we're growing up real fast." The Eagles (9-5) could have wrapped up a playoff berth and their first NFC East title since 1988. Instead, Philadelphia got just three points from two trips inside San Francisco's 5, and the Eagles' pass defense failed at a critical time.

Though Philadelphia still is all but certain to win its division and make the playoffs, the Eagles regret the opportunities that got away from them on a misty, windy day. The heavy rains that pelted the Bay Area on Saturday stopped by game time, but the field was slippery and muddy in many spots. Philadelphia still can clinch the division if the New York Giants lose to Seattle on Sunday, but nobody in the Eagles' locker room wanted to back in.

"We had a chance to finish this off, and we didn't do it," said running back Duce Staley, who caught nine passes for 103 yards. "I'm hungry. Hopefully we'll see them again."

The Niners posted the first consecutive home shutouts in franchise history in their previous two games. They frustrated Donovan McNabb, who was 23-of-34 for 232 yards but couldn't get his team in the end zone.

Smith's interception almost wasn't necessary. Leading 6-3 early in the fourth, the 49ers thought they had made a dramatic goal-line stand when Smith, who had nine tackles, flung McNabb out of bounds on fourth down -- but Lance Schulters was called for holding.

Starting from the 1, Philadelphia tried two running plays that were stopped at the line. On third down, Smith sneaked in front of McNabb's pass to Chad Lewis.

It was the first interception of the season for Smith, who came to the 49ers as a free agent from Washington last season and has quickly emerged as a team leader.

"I read his eyes," Smith said. "I don't think he saw me. You could feel the urgency on the field. Somebody had to make that play."

San Francisco also failed to score touchdowns on two drives inside the Eagles' 5, but the offense finally came alive after Smith's interception with one big play from their two biggest talents.

Owens is nursing a hip pointer and injuries to both feet, limiting his effectiveness in recent weeks. But after the Niners moved to midfield when Owens drew an interference penalty, Garcia hit his favorite target over the middle for Owens' 14th score of the season.

"I told those guys in the huddle that we had to get this party started," Owens said. "We owed it to the defense."

The Eagles came out with the energy expected from a team playing for a postseason berth. McNabb completed all eight of his passes in the first quarter, but the Eagles' best drive stalled on the 2.

David Akers' 20-yard field goal was the first -- and only -- score allowed by San Francisco at 3Com Park since Nov. 8.

The Niners tied it shortly before halftime on a 21-yard chip by Jose Cortez, and they went ahead on another short field goal late in the third quarter.

Game Notes:
Garcia, whose practice time was limited all week, admitted after the game that he has a cracked rib. He played with extra padding, saying it didn't greatly affect his throws. ... Mariucci won his first meeting with Eagles coach Andy Reid, his former colleague and close friend. ... The 49ers lost two starters to broken bones. Fullback Fred Beasley broke his right hand, while defensive end Chike Okeafor broke his right leg.

(Copyright 2001 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

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Author: 6 - ABC, Action News