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SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- Because they can't run, the Philadelphia Eagles' sprint to the playoffs has become a jog.

Donovan McNabb threw a crucial interception in the fourth quarter and the San Francisco 49ers prevented Philadelphia from clinching a playoff berth with a 13-3 victory.

Jeff Garcia played the entire game with torn cartilage in his ribcage and threw for 136 yards and a touchdown for San Francisco (11-3), which already has clinched a postseason berth.

The 49ers looked to be in trouble early in the fourth quarter, nursing a 6-3 lead with Philadelphia inside the 10-yard line following a 46-yard pass from McNabb to running back Duce Staley.

But the Eagles were unable to punch the ball in the end zone as Staley failed on three runs from the 1 around a defensive holding call on 4th-and-goal that gave Philadelphia a fresh set of downs.

"We ran the ball a couple of times on the inside and weren't able to get too many yards," McNabb said. "We tried to have Duce go over the top, but we still didn't get in. We were just being aggressive."

After a pair of runs by Staley, McNabb dropped back and looked over the middle for tight end Mike Bartrum but had his pass intercepted by linebacker Derek Smith.

"Smith was sitting there in the gray area to the outside, and he made a great play," McNabb said. "We had a lot of plays down in their territory. That is just one of those plays we want back."

The Eagles had seven straight plays inside the 10 and were given four new downs after cornerback Lance Schulters was called for holding tight end Chad Lewis. But the 49ers were up to the task.

"We've been playing very well, energized, fast and smart," San Francisco coach Steve Mariucci said. "But to have seven plays in a row, which seemed like 100, and to keep stuffing them and stuffing them and stuffing them, that's unbelievable."

Staley lost a yard on three carries during the key fourth-quarter sequence and finished with just 35 yards on 15 rushes. The Eagles have not had a 40-yard rusher the past three games.

Philadelphia's inability to run was not limited to the decisive sequence.

Staley also failed on 3rd-and-1 on the first possession of the second half. On 3rd-and-goal from the 2 early in the second quarter, Eagles coach Andy Reid didn't even bother going to the ground as McNabb threw incomplete to rookie Freddie Mitchell.

"I could sit there and second-guess myself in a lot of different ways, but we did what we thought we needed to do to win the football game," Reid said. "Obviously, it didn't work out the right way, and that's my responsibility."

McNabb completed 23-of-34 passes for 232 yards for Philadelphia, which had won four straight and was trying to clinch the NFC East for the first time since 1988.

Even with a 2 1/2-game lead in the division, the road to the playoffs will not be an easy one for the Eagles, who finish the season against the New York Giants and Tampa Bay.

Meanwhile, the Niners (11-3) moved within one-half game of first-lace St. Louis in the NFC West while extending their home winning streak to six games. They have yielded just three points in the last three home contests.

San Francisco's defense, which was sixth overall in the NFC, allowed Philadelphia inside its 45 just twice, yielding only a 20-yard field goal by David Akers in the second quarter.

"The defense was absolutely outstanding," Garcia said. "They are doing a great job."

Jose Ortiz tied it just before halftime with a 21-yard field goal and made it 6-3 late in the third quarter with a 32-yarder. His second kick capped a 16-play drive that consumed 9:18.

The Niners scored their back-breaking TD shortly after McNabb's interception. Cornerback Al Harris was called for pass interference on Owens near midfield for a 34-yard penalty before Owens hauled in a 32-yard score with 6:52 to play.

"The coaches put us in opportunistic situations to put points on the board," said Owens, who had four catches for 64 yards. "We've got to be on the same page. When we do that, we can do a lot of things."