Follow us:

According to Next Gen Stats, Nick Mullens' expected completion percentage Sunday night was 75.2 -- third highest among Week 4 starters. In other words, there were plays to be made, but Mullens was off-target all game before getting benched for C.J. Beathard. Great play-callers like Kyle Shanahan can do their part to scheme up explosive plays, but ultimately it's impossible to make up for horrendous quarterback play. And it didn't help that the 49ers' offensive line struggled badly in their loss to the Eagles. The good news is George Kittle looked great, and Deebo Samuel saw his first action of the season. Getting Jimmy Garoppolo back in the next couple of weeks should provide the 49ers with some stability.

The injuries have been too much for this team so far. Even so, you shouldn't lose a game to an undermanned Eagles team at home.

How battered are reigning NFC champs? They've already been forced to use a league-high 63 players, four more than the next-closest team.

FPI chance to make playoffs: 61.4%

In past years, this would probably be too high, but with seven playoff spots available for the first time, the Niners still have a good shot to get back to the postseason despite their disappointing start. This team has been ravaged by injuries but should get many of the key players back in the next few weeks. The schedule is going to get more difficult and the margin for error much smaller, but in looking around the NFC, it's still hard to find seven teams that are undoubtedly better. Just don't expect another NFC West title and the No. 1 seed. -- Nick Wagoner

You hate to put too much of the blame for a loss on one player, but Nick Mullens pretty much got the 49ers beat on Sunday night. His struggles against the Eagles started right out of the gate, when he airmailed a throw to Kyle Juszczyk on a play that should have gone for a huge gain. His final pass was a game-deciding pick-six, thrown directly into the arms of linebacker Alex Singleton in the fourth quarter. That's when Kyle Shanahan pulled the cord and brought in C.J. Beathard, who deserves credit for making things interesting until the final pass, an unanswered Hail Mary in the end zone. The Niners are starting to get healthy on offense; now they just need Jimmy Garoppolo to join George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and friends.