SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Yes, the Eagles had a late-night disturbance, but the team is focused on knocking off the 49ers and becoming the first and only 4-0 team in the NFL. The other two undefeated teams (Arizona, Cincinnati) are enjoying the bye week. Here are five storylines to watch before today's 4:25 PM kickoff from Levi's Stadium. Our live coverage begins at 4 PM with the Kickoff Show hosted by Bo Wulf, Greg Cosell and Ike Reese featuring reports from Santa Clara ...
1. TE Vernon Davis "Good To Go"
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday morning that 49ers tight end Vernon Davis is "good to go" for today's showdown. Davis missed last Sunday's game vs. Arizona with knee and ankle injuries. He was listed as questionable for today. Davis has two touchdowns this year and has the ability to open up the rest of the field for the 49ers' offense. The Eagles are without Mychal Kendricks and once again will rely on the trio of Emmanuel Acho, Casey Matthews and Marcus Smith II at inside linebacker alongside DeMeco Ryans.
2. O-Line Under The Microscope
The Eagles will feature their third different starting offensive line combination of the season today. Matt Tobin and David Molk make their first-career starts at left guard and center, respectively. Dennis Kelly hops over to right guard and Todd Herremans slides to right tackle. Jason Peters remains at his left tackle post. The matchup between the Eagles' O-line and the 49ers' front seven is one to watch, but if there's reason for optimism it's that Tobin, Molk and Kelly formed the interior of the second-team O-line all preseason. Not only do they have the chemistry, but the second-team O-line was dominant in the exhibition slate. Just ask the Steelers' starters.
3. Foles Going Back To Cali
Quarterback Nick Foles has thrown for 978 yards and six touchdowns this season. Last season, the Eagles' quarterback played in California and had a game for the ages. Foles tied a team and NFL record with seven touchdown passes against the Raiders. He became the first quarterback to post a perfect passer rating while tossing seven touchdown scores. And there's an injury to watch for the 49ers. Starting safety Antoine Bethea is questionable after popping up on Friday's injury report with an ankle injury.
4. Home Cooking For Zach Ertz
Tight end Zach Ertz leads all tight ends with six receptions of 20 yards or more as well as an average of 19.7 yards per catch this season. The Danville, Calif. native and Stanford alum had his first-career touchdowns last season in Oakland.
5. Is This The Game For Gore?
The 49ers' offense has been built around the power run game, but this season they've put the ball in quarterback Colin Kaepernick's hands despite holding second-half leads in each of their two losses. Kaepernick has attempted 30 or more passes in two of the three games. This season, Kaepernick has four touchdown passes in the first quarter, but no touchdowns and three interceptions in the other three quarters. The 49ers' second-half point total of three this season has been well-documented.
Frank Gore had 16 carries for 66 yards rushing in the first game, a win over Dallas. He had 13 carries in the loss to Chicago, but only six carries against Arizona. The 49ers don't want to go to 1-3. Will they go back to the man who has given them so much success over the past few seasons today?
