BOARDMAN, Ohio — Left tackle Joe Staley offered a blunt message Thursday about the 49ers’ last-ranked offense.

“Contrary to what everybody believes, we don’t suck,” Staley said. “We’re good players, and we play well. It takes all 11 guys, and all we have to do is our job.”

The 49ers offense is averaging a league-low 213.7 yards per game. The rushing attack is at a standstill. Quarterback Alex Smith is not attempting deep passes. And the embattled offensive line is allowing sacks, committing false starts and missing blocks.

Is Staley sick of hearing such criticism, albeit after only three regular-season games?

“Yeah, but we’re 2-1,” Staley answered. “Not sick of winning.”

To win their second straight road game Sunday at Philadelphia, the 49ers likely must counterattack more often than they did in a 13-8 win at Cincinnati.

Awaiting that 49ers offense is a hyped Eagles secondary that includes three Pro Bowl cornerbacks: Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Wide receiver Michael Crabtree is not awed by that matchup, or, for that matter, any other each week.

“When Sunday comes up, you don’t think about the names, you think about football,” Crabtree said.

With only four receptions for 28 yards this season, Crabtree is eager for a breakout performance.

“I’m real hungry. If you throw me the ball out of bounds, I’ll probably go catch it,” said Crabtree, whose twice-broken left foot has

responded well since Sunday’s full-game effort.

Providing Smith time to throw has been a problem, however. The Bengals sacked him five times, one fewer than did the Dallas Cowboys the previous week.

Four false-start penalties on the offensive line didn’t help in the early going against the Bengals. Those woes were traced to the 49ers’ silent snap count, something that had better be fixed as they head into a more hostile environment than Cincinnati, which drew the smallest crowd for a Bengals home opener in 30 years.

“Yeah, the overall communication was really the problem,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said.

Staley added: “Last week was our first week doing (silent counts). We’ll be on it, and I feel fully confident in that.”

The 49ers have worked on their visual cues this week, and they piped in artificial crowd noise during their practices at Youngstown State.

All 12 of the Eagles’ sacks this season have come from defensive linemen: Jason Babin (four), Cullen Jenkins (four), Trent Cole (three) and Darryl Tapp (one).

“Their front four is extremely good in all phases,” Roman said, adding that the Eagles haven’t blitzed as much this season under new defensive coordinator Juan Castillo.

The 49ers’ 30th-ranked rushing attack could be without starter Frank Gore, who’s been limited in practice because of an injured right ankle. On the bright side: The Eagles’ run defense ranks 30th, as well.

Neither Roman nor coach Jim Harbaugh would state whether right guard Chilo Rachal has lost his starting job to Adam Snyder, who replaced Rachal for most of Sunday’s second half. The 49ers offense totaled a season-high 226 yards in that win.

“When I watched that game, talking about an offensive perspective, I enjoyed watching that,” Harbaugh said. “There were specific things that we can improve on from that ballgame. I think people that like football liked that game. That was football. If you enjoy the struggle of football, then you enjoyed that.”

When it was over, the 49ers at least enjoyed a winning record, one that will be on the line Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

For more on the 49ers, see Cam Inman’s Hot Read blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers.

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — An ankle injury limited running back Frank Gore in Wednesday’s practice at Youngstown State, casting doubt on his status for the 49ers’ game Sunday at Philadelphia.

That could mean more work for rookie Kendall Hunter, who scored the go-ahead touchdown and rotated with Gore after halftime in last Sunday’s 13-8 win at Cincinnati.

Is Hunter ready to assume a larger role, especially if it means blocking against blitzing defenders? “I’m still learning. I’ll help the team do whatever I can,” Hunter said. “I feel the coaches give everybody the same opportunity to go out there and be successful.”

The 49ers haven’t had much success on the ground. They rank 30th with an average of 69.7 rushing yards per game.

Gore’s 59 carries for 148 yards compute to a paltry average of 2.5 yards per carry. Hunter’s 2.7 average is not much better (11 carries, 30 yards). Anthony Dixon has one carry for 6 yards.

Before Wednesday’s practice, coach Jim Harbaugh said it was his “educated guess” that Gore would play Sunday, citing Gore’s toughness. Gore suited up for practice but merely observed during the 30-minute media access.

Jim Harbaugh loathes talking about player injuries. But the 49ers coach made an exception Wednesday in the case of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick.

“With the (concussion) he had two weeks ago, with the hand injury this week, it’d probably be the prudent thing to rest him for a week,” Harbaugh said in deadpan fashion. “I’d like that a lot. I think that would be prudent for them to do.

“But we can’t count on it. So we’re going to have to prepare for him.”

Vick told reporters in Philadelphia there was a “100 percent chance” he would play Sunday when the Eagles (1-2) host the 49ers (2-1).

That is welcome news to some on the 49ers defense.

“I would love for Vick to play,” nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga said. “He’s a good guy, a fast quarterback, great arm, smart quarterback. But, hey, that’s how you challenge yourself, by playing the best.”

“Honestly, to me, Michael Vick is a tremendous player,” linebacker Patrick Willis said. “We all know he is a playmaker and a guy that can make a difference in a game. Whether he plays or not, we still have to come out and play. Whoever is taking the snap will be the guy we have to stop.”

After debuting with a 31-13 win against the still-winless St. Louis Rams, the Eagles were stopped in their past two games, falling 35-31 at Atlanta and 29-16 in last Sunday’s home opener to the New York Giants.

That is not the trend expected from a perennial contender that had been dubbed

the “Dream Team” by third-string quarterback Vince Young.

While former Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha got beat for a couple of touchdowns last week, Vick personified the Eagles’ woes. He injured his right, nonthrowing hand, which initially was declared broken but was later diagnosed as a bruise.

Vick will remain a marked man, even after his postgame complaints Sunday about officials failing to penalize opponents for late hits on him.

With Vick, defenses always have to worry about more than pressuring the pocket. He has run 24 times this season for 153 yards, which would make him the 49ers’ leading rusher through three games. (Frank Gore has totaled 148 yards in 59 carries.)

“One of the big reasons they’re the second-leading rushing team in the National Football League is what he contributes on the ground,” Harbaugh said of Vick.

The Eagles average 182 yards rushing per game, second only to the Raiders’ 185. Aside from Vick, they also have the league’s second-leading rusher in LeSean McCoy, who’s tallied 345 yards and a league-best four rushing touchdowns.

The 49ers counter with the league’s third-best run defense (62.7 yards per game), as well as a streak of 25 consecutive games without letting an opposing player rush for 100 yards.

“That is a stout, athletic defense,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said. “All their ratings, all those statistics, all those are true. Sometimes you look at those things and you go, ‘Eh, these things are skewed a little bit.’ That’s not how it is with this group. They’re real.”

If Vick’s “100 percent” availability is not real, then the Eagles could turn to second-year quarterback Mike Kafka or Young, who’s been sidelined by a hamstring injury. Kafka relieved Vick against the Giants.

Added Reid: “Listen, if (Vick) can’t squeeze the ball 100 percent, or if he’s at risk of being injured further, we’re not going to put him in there.”

We already know what Harbaugh recommends, even if he was only half joking.

For more on the 49ers, see Cam Inman’s Hot Read blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers.