49ers melt down in fourth

SAN FRANCISCO — The stars seemed aligned for the 49ers on Sunday at Candlestick Park.

The Philadelphia Eagles were playing without four offensive starters. The 49ers ended the first half with the ultimate momentum-changing play when Ray McDonald blocked a field-goal attempt and Donald Strickland returned it for a touchdown.

Everything was going the 49ers’ way until a colossal fourth-quarter meltdown led to their third consecutive loss.

Afterward, coach Mike Nolan gathered his players in the locker room to ruminate upon their 40-26 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles. His message: The season is a long way from being over.

However, the truth is that this is quickly turning into another long season for the 49ers.

“It’s damaging,” 49ers tight end Vernon Davis said. “We should have won, but we didn’t. We let it slip away.”

Quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan avoided making any glaring mistakes through the first three quarter. But things fell apart in the final seven minutes when he committed three turnovers.

When the 49ers took over with 1:04 remaining and trailing by seven points, O’Sullivan hit a 25-yard pass to rookie Josh Morgan at midfield. But when he tried to beat the Eagles’ blitz with a quick strike to Arnaz Battle, defensive end Juqua Parker stepped in front of the pass and took the interception back 55 yards for the game-clinching touchdown.

Things changed quickly for the 49ers, who scored 20 unanswered points in the second and third quarters to take a 26-17 lead.

The problems for the 49ers began on the first possession of the fourth quarter, after the Eagles pulled to within two points, 26-24. Needing to take some time off the clock and extend the 49ers’ lead, offensive coordinator Mike Martz instead called nothing but pass plays.

After two incompletions, O’Sullivan threw a pass to Davis that lost 7 yards.

“I felt like we were moving the ball and the first downs were coming,” O’Sullivan said. “Guys were making plays. We had somewhat of a rhythm going. The three-and-outs put a stop to that and made us struggle.”

The 49ers bumbled through the fourth quarter. They ran 16 offensive plays and were held to negative-2 yards in the quarter to go along with their three turnovers.

Running back Frank Gore, who finished with 101 yards rushing and a touchdown on 19 carries, inexplicably touched the ball just twice in the fourth quarter.

“You know, we’ve just got to finish,” Gore said. “I’m not the coach, and I don’t make the calls. The Eagles made big plays. We made mistakes and we lost the game. Our coach did what he thought was the best thing for us to get a first down and move the ball. We made mistakes toward the end. They made the plays and won the game.”

O’Sullivan did not question Martz’s playcalling.

“I believe whatever play coach Martz calls is the best play for our offense,” O’Sullivan said. “We were trying to move the ball and be aggressive. He is going to call the play that he feels is going to be the most successful.”

It was the third disappointing game in a row for O’Sullivan after a hot start. O’Sullivan completed 17 of 30 passes for 199 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions and a lost fourth-quarter fumble.

Nolan said he is not considering a change at quarterback.

The biggest problems for the 49ers’ offense were its inability to convert on third downs — they made just two of 12 attempts — and its inefficiency in the red zone.

The 49ers got inside the Eagles’ 20-yard line four times and came away with only one touchdown and Joe Nedney field goals of 32, 37 and 29 yards. Nedney also booted a 54-yarder late in the first half.

“I get frustrated not scoring touchdowns, especially when we get the ball down there,” O’Sullivan said. “It is our job to score touchdowns. Not doing that, we are leaving points out there.”

The 49ers were in position to win the game in the second half because they did not leave any points on the field at the end of the first half.

The Eagles’ David Akers attempted a 54-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter. McDonald blocked the low kick, and Strickland grabbed the fortuitous bounce and raced 41 yards for his first NFL touchdown. The touchdown cut the Eagles’ lead to 17-16.

The 49ers then scored on Gore’s 6-yard touchdown run to cap the first drive of the third quarter.

While the 49ers had all the momentum, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was determined to pull his team out of its two-game losing streak.

“Nobody in this locker room was hanging their head at halftime,” said McNabb, who completed 23 of 36 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns. “We knew that if we made a few adjustments and eliminated a few mistakes, we could win.”

Afterward, it was the 49ers who had every reason to be downcast after falling behind the Arizona Cardinals by two games in the NFC West with a game against the Giants looming in New York.

“Coach said we’ve got a lot of football left,” 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis said. “We have a lot of time to prove something. We just have to stick together and stay strong. It hurts to lose a game like this, but he said we can’t hang our heads.”

For more on the 49ers, go to Instant 49ers at 49ers.pressdemocrat.com. You can reach Staff Writer Matt Maiocco at 521-5492 or matt.maiocco@press

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