PHILADELPHIA — To Jim Harbaugh and Alex Smith, Sunday’s stunning comeback victory was one for the road.
The San Francisco 49ers lauded last week’s temporary home in eastern Ohio, and how comfortable they felt in the second half in Philadelphia, where they surged back from a 20-point deficit to win 24-23.
“Thanks, Youngstown, you’ve been good to us,” Harbaugh said of his decision to keep the team in Ohio after its victory at Cincinnati last weekend.
It was a bitter disappointment for the Eagles (1-3), who wasted a splendid performance by Mi-chael Vick, injured hand and all.
Vick threw for a career-high 416 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 75 yards. But Philly’s defense fell apart in the final 30 minutes, and Frank Gore capped a 77-yard drive with a 12-yard TD run with three minutes remaining.
“It’s unacceptable to give up a lead that size in the second half,” Eagles defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said. “If we don’t win, we’re just a bunch of talented people who haven’t done anything, and there’s a lot of teams like that.”
The 49ers (3-1) are talented enough to lead the NFC West after breaking a five-game losing streak against Philadelphia.
“It’s shocking. It’s frustrating,” Vick said.
Philadelphia has been outscored 36-0 in the fourth quarter of its last three games, all losses. The team so lauded for its free- agency haul after the lockout is in last place in the NFC East.
