Bumbling Eagles Hand It to 49ers

Even the San Francisco 49ers aren’t supposed to win when their offense gains only 213 yards.

But they managed to win on Monday night with defense and special teams, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-12, as Merton Hanks returned a fumble for a touchdown, Chuck Levy scored on a 73-yard punt return, and Curtis Buckley’s disputed hit and fumble recovery set up a third touchdown.

Dana Stubblefield chipped in with 3 1/2 of San Francisco’s eight sacks as the 49ers (9-1) won their ninth consecutive game since an opening-week loss to Tampa Bay.

The 49ers also moved within a victory of their fifth NFC West title in six years and 13th in 17 seasons. They can clinch it Sunday by defeating Carolina in San Francisco, then move on to trying to secure home field in the NFC playoffs.

“With our defense, we don’t need to score a lot of points to win,” said quarterback Steve Young, who didn’t have--or need--a big game. “That’s how we won championships in the past.”

Stubblefield agreed.

“Ever since I’ve been here we’ve played a good rushing defense,” he said. “That’s what we hang our hat on. That’s what we take pride in.

For Philadelphia (4-6), the playoffs are fast becoming a longshot.

“It hurts a lot,” Eagle Coach Ray Rhodes said. “They took us apart from a defensive standpoint. There were two touchdowns scored before our defense even got on the field, and that’s disappointing.”

It was the Eagles’ first home loss in five games this season and left them in fourth place in the NFC East, behind Washington (6-4), the New York Giants (6-4) and Dallas (5-5).

How unusual was this game, the first ever played by the Eagles in all-green uniforms?

Young, down to only two healthy wide receivers at game’s end, was 13 of 23 for only 103 yards. But that only left the scoring to the defense.

It started only one minute seven seconds into the game when Lee Woodall stripped the ball from Ricky Watters. Hanks picked it up and returned it untouched to the end zone.

Three-and-half minutes into the second quarter, the Niners’ Tommy Thompson punted to Philadelphia’s Freddie Solomon. He signaled for a fair catch, but as the ball got to him, Buckley came crashing in. The ball came loose, and Buckley fell on it at the Philadelphia 26.

The officials ruled Solomon never had possession, making it a muff and making him fair game for Buckley.

Buckley said that he actually hit an Eagle player, Tim McKyer, who bumped Solomon.

Three plays later, after a 19-yard pass play from Young to Terrell Owens, Garrison Hearst scored from the one and the 49ers led, 14-6.

After the Eagle offense stalled, Levy--returning punts because Iheanyi Uweazuoke was sidelined because of a knee injury--took Tommy Hutton’s kick, split two Eagle players and ran untouched to the end zone.

Third-string quarterback Bobby Hoying led the Eagles to their only touchdown--a six-yard pass play to Chad Lewis with 1:14 left.