Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will miss his second consecutive start with a sprained ankle for the San Francisco 49ers, clearing the way for Nick Mullens to make another start.
Garoppolo got hurt two weeks ago in a win against the New York Jets and hasn't practiced since then. The Niners decided to hold him out and listed him as out for the game.
"If Jimmy could have played this week, he would have," Coach Kyle Shanahan said.
The Niners also will be without starting running back Raheem Mostert (knee), tight end Jordan Reed (knee), defensive end Dee Ford (back), cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (concussion), former Fayetteville and University of Arkansas linebacker Dre Greenlaw (quadriceps) and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (hamstring) against the Eagles tonight.
San Francisco will be getting some key pieces back, with All-Pro tight end George Kittle set to return after missing two games with a knee injury. No. 1 receiver Deebo Samuel is set to make his 2020 debut after breaking his foot during the offseason.
Kittle is one of the most important pieces to San Francisco's offense as both a dominating run blocker and the team's biggest threat in the passing game.
His 216 catches for 2,945 yards are the most ever for a tight end in his first three NFL seasons.
Samuel caught 57 passes for 802 yards and 3 touchdowns as a rookie last season, and he also made big contributions in the running game. He had 14 carries for 159 yards and 3 scores.
"It adds some excitement. You can get the ball into those guys' hands," Mullens said. "George and Deebo, those guys bring energy. They bring great energy. They're leaders of this football team. That helps the entire offense, that helps the team. They've done great in practice. Very fast and very physical. Great mindsets. We're pumped to have those guys out there."
They will provide a big boost to Mullens, who has played well in place of Garoppolo over his career. He threw for 343 yards and a touchdown in a win last week against the Giants in his first start in nearly 21 months.
Mullens has been very productive when he has played, with his 2,620 yards passing in nine career starts ranking third most at that juncture of a career, trailing only Patrick Mahomes and Andrew Luck.
"I feel like San Francisco is blessed to probably have two starters, quite frankly," Eagles Coach Doug Pederson said. "The guy is a smart kid, he's a hard worker. He puts the time in. You can see that in the way he plays. He doesn't make mistakes. It's rare that you see a poor decision, a bad throw or something like that on tape."
