Philadelphia and San Francisco are just hours from kicking off their Week 2 matchup and we sat down with Kyle Madon of The Niners Wire ahead of their Week 2 matchup with the Eagles.

1.

August 14, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (5) and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) warm up before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

We’re familiar with the two-quarterback controversy here in Philadelphia, but the 49ers seemed to have put more thought into a created scenario. How has the veteran Jimmy Garoppolo responded? Can we really expect Trey Lance to take over as the starter at some point this season?

Garoppolo responded well this offseason and had a really nice camp, then backed it up with one of his best games as a pro in Week 1. While head coach Kyle Shanahan’s scheme provides a lot of easy, high-percentage throws with built-in yards after the catch, Garoppolo was decisive, accurate, and avoided the head-scratching throws right at defenders. As long as he plays like that, Lance will continue working in as an offensive weapon for a few snaps each game and take the reins next season. The 49ers don’t want Lance to start this season, so the job is Garoppolo’s unless he’s hurt or he starts costing them games. If he continues playing as he did in Week 1 — that won’t be happening.

2.

Dec 20, 2020; Arlington, Texas, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) is tackled by Dallas Cowboys cornerback Anthony Brown (30) in the third quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

2. Is Brandon Aiyuk in the doghouse or the victim of a lack of targets?

Yeah, no doghouse despite all the talk of it this week. I think he just had an up-and-down training camp because of a balky hamstring that kept him from getting consistent practice time. While he was dealing with that, WR Trent Sherfield stepped in and earned some snaps. Since the 49ers run such a low rate of three-receiver sets, Sherfield and Aiyuk wound up splitting snaps in the opening week. My expectation is that Aiyuk regains his spot as the team’s top receiver at some point this year, so I’m not hitting the panic button with him just yet.

3.

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

3. With Robert Saleh and Mike LaFleur now in the AFC, how has San Francisco managed to keep that same edge and sense of identity on both sides of the ball?

The offense is Shanahan’s so they’ll miss LaFleur’s voice in offensive meetings but it’s not something that’s going to dramatically alter how the 49ers approach that side of the ball. Defensively it’s a different story. The scheme is still the same, but Week 1 wasn’t a super promising outing from the 49ers’ defense and that intensity Saleh brought to the sideline wasn’t there with new defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. Now, it was his first game as a DC so we’ll have to see how the defense responds to that bit of adversity

4.

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

4. What makes Fred Warner such a dynamic middle linebacker?

He’s just a baller, man. His athleticism allows him to run with anyone in coverage, and his football IQ is off the charts. He’s exceedingly smart and having a defender like that in the second level that can pair elite athletic traits with the cerebral part of the game is just so vital against modern offenses that look to attack the middle of the field. There were questions about his size going into the draft and how he’d hold up against the run, but he’s been good getting downhill and getting through traffic to string out plays to the sidelines. He’s just a really, really good football player.

5.

(AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

5. Who wins and why?

I think the Eagles win this one. They can do enough on their defensive line to really get the 49ers’ offense out of a rhythm. Then if Jalen Hurts is going to be as good as he was against Atlanta the Eagles can take advantage of a beat-up San Francisco secondary. It’ll be close and should be a really good game, but I think the atmosphere at Lincoln Financial Field is going to be insane and ultimately helps the Eagles get out to a quick start that helps them to a 27-23 win.