The Jacksonville Jaguars will face off against the San Francisco 49ers on the road this week. Here are our bold predictions for the matchup.
The Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1) must have eye discipline in Week 4 against the San Francisco 49ers (3-0) this Sunday. Otherwise, they may be in for a rude awakening despite being one of the best defenses in the league this year.
"If you not on your rules, he can expose it and he understands defenses at a very supreme [level]," Jaguars cornerback Jourdan Lewis said in the locker room Thursday.
"And I will say, he knows your defense inside and out, and he gonna try to take advantage of those rules. So we gotta be on our p's and q's when we go against him."
Lewis, of course, is referring to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, who quickly became one of the best offensive minds in football, leading San Francisco to new heights since he was named head coach in 2017.
The "rules" he references pertain to the defense and understanding where they need to be given a formation, play call or otherwise that the offense deploys.
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San Francisco has ranked in the top 10 in yards on offense every season since 2019, except in 2020 when the team lost its starting quarterback. Even through a disappointing 2024 season where the 49ers went 6-11 and missed the playoffs, the team still ranked fourth in yards.
The team's ultimate shortfall was points, ranking 29th, the worst ranking in Shanahan's tenure with the San Francisco 49ers.
Here are our bold predictions ahead of the Jaguars' matchup against the 49ers.
Travis Hunter will pick off whichever 49ers quarterback trots out
The Jaguars don't know yet which quarterback the team will face — Brock Purdy or Mac Jones. Both players are dealing with injuries this week, but the thought heading into Sunday is that Purdy should be available after missing the last two games due to a left shoulder and a toe injury. Purdy has practiced limited thus far this week and posted a limited practice late last week.
No matter the QB, though, the Jaguars understand the more pressing concern is the offense in general. It doesn't really matter which one runs out of the tunnel first, playing in Shanahan's scheme.
"It's still the same system. It's still [a] Shanahan-type offense. So we understand what we gonna get regardless of the quarterback," said Lewis. Still, he added, the team understands that Purdy is mobile in the pocket with the ability to extend things with his legs, while noting that Jones has proven to be a "really good servicable quarterback" who can "make you pay if you're not right."
With that said, this week is a good opportunity for rookie Travis Hunter to take advantage of extended plays, potentially baiting one of the quarterbacks into a bad throw. Hunter has steadily improved on defense, getting more reps in each of the last two weeks.
Hunter's prowess for getting to the football on defense will pay dividends.
49ers, Christian McCaffrey will struggle to run the football
The Jaguars understand what kind of player running back Christian McCaffrey is, a back who can split out wide, lining up in various spots in any formation.
In his career, McCaffrey has proven to be elite in all aspects of the position. He's carried the ball 1,399 times for 6,563 yards in 98 games played, averaging 4.7 yards over his nine year career between the Carolina Panthers and the 49ers.
McCaffrey has led the league in touchdowns twice in his career, including in 2019 (403 total touches) and 2023 (2,023). He's led the league in touchdowns in both of those seasons with 19 and 21.
He's leading the league in touches this year, too, but the team is struggling to find him room on the ground. Through three games, McCaffrey has totaled 176 yards on 52 carries with zero rushing touchdowns.
He's averaging 3.4 yards per attempt, his the worst of his career.
The issue, in part, is due to San Francisco missing numerous players on offense, including receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who won't play this week and isn't close to returning, according to 49ers general manager John Lynch.
As such, McCaffrey currently leads the team in targets (32) and catches (25). The next-best is second-year wideout Ricky Pearsall with 16 catches. McCaffrey is also tied with multiple players on the team for the most receiving touchdowns this year (one).
Meanwhile, Jacksonville's defense has been one of the best at stopping the run, allowing just 82.7 rushing yards per game, ranking fourth in the league.
If the 49ers win this weekend, it won't be because of their ground attack.
Jaguars offense will be stagnant against stout 49ers defense
Jacksonville's offense has had some bright moments, including in the team's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2.
Still, there have been far too many mental mistakes, including drops (league high 12) and pre-snap penalties.
Currently, the 49ers rank second in points, allowing just 16.3 per game, fourth in yards allowed (265.7 per game) and a litany of other defensive categories. If Jacksonville gets in the red zone, they'll have better success with San Fran, allowing 55.56% of trips to be converted for touchdowns (15th).
Jacksonville's offense isn't bad, but they must stay sharp this week, and thus far haven't proven to do that consistently.
As a result, San Francisco has a major advantage.
Still, Jacksonville has one advantage and way to wear down the 49ers, and that's running the football. The 49ers give up 103.7 rushing yards per game (15th). Meanwhile, the Jaguars rank sixth in yards per rush (5.1) and fifth in rushing yards per game (fifth).
Jaguars at 49ers score prediction
49ers 21, Jaguars 10.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars vs 49ers predictions, Why San Fran has advantage
Category: Football
