The 49ers recently defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, the hottest team in football, 34-3 on the road. What a declaration. The 49ers’ grades for this performance are listed below.
A BROCK PURDY
When he gets an early lead, he’s very tough to beat. He has struggled and played from behind during the last three weeks. He cruised today and never trailed. 3 touchdowns and 296 yards were passed. obtained a passing score of 148.9. Despite taking some risks, he made it all seem so simple. His two touchdown passes were exceedingly dangerous. He rolled to his left on the first one, made a huge no-no throw into a sea of hands in the middle of the field, and still managed to come away with a touchdown. With his second, he took a hit and heaved the ball downfield, where George Kittle caught it and the defender covering him went down. The previous few weeks, such That’s how unlucky Purdy was—passes would have been intercepted. He had luck on his side today. These things, I suppose, balance out.
GOING ADVANCED: A-PLUS
Despite notching up a touchdown, Christian McCaffrey broke through numerous tackles, gained 142 yards from scrimmage, averaged 5.9 yards per carry, and carried the 49ers offense. The 49ers are difficult to stop when he performs at this level. In addition, Kyle Juszczyk scored on a 22-yard pass play.
Broad receivers: An
Brandon Aiyuk had a 13-yard touchdown catch and 55 receiving yards, while Deebo Samuel had a 23-yard touchdown run and 59 yards from scrimmage. When these two are on the field together, they are difficult to stop.
ENDINGS TIGHT: A
George Kittle caught three passes for one touchdown and 116 yards. The last few games, he was almost unstoppable. His health must be maintained by the 49ers for the postseason.
LINEMEN ON OFFENSIVE: B
They allowed two sacks and Trent Williams was called for a holding penalty, but they had great run blocking, and Jon Feliciano performed admirably in left guard Aaron Banks’ absence due to injury.
A-PLUS DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
The 49ers’ excellent defensive line proved too strong for the awful Jaguars offensive line to handle, and that proved to be the game-winning difference. The 49ers sacked Trevor Lawrence five times after adding Chase Young, giving them four reliable pass rushers on the field at all times. Lawrence lost the ball, which Nick Bosa also recovered. At last, this appears to be the defensive line that has dominated the NFL in recent years.
A LINEBACKER
With a combined 15 tackle total, Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw helped hold the Jaguars to just 3.5 yards per carry. Lawrence was also intercepted by Warner.
A-MINUS DEFENSIVE BACKS
After Christian Kirk mishandled the ball and Ambry Thomas recovered it, Talanoa Hufanga intercepted it. Compared to the first half of the season, the cornerbacks played a lot more press-man coverage, which allowed the defensive line to gain the advantage and win the game. Not ideal, Charvarius Ward committed two penalties and Ambry Thomas committed one as a result of the press coverage. However, if the defensive line is able to sack the quarterback five times in a game due to tight coverage, the 49ers will have to accept those penalties.
TEAM SPECIAL: A
The Jaguars were pinned at the 1-yard line by the punt coverage team, and Jake Moody converted two field goals.
MENTORS: A
For Steve Wilks, who was made the victim of the team’s three-game losing streak, this was a crucial game. This week, he had to relocate from the coach’s booth to the sideline, and if the defense hadn’t performed well, that would have been his last option. The game was won, though. gave up just three points while denying Jacksonville four possessions of the ball. Check, buddy. Wilks calling plays from the sideline had nothing to do with the defense’s strong performance; everything else
49ers triumph over the Jaguars in a convincing fashion thanks to an improved pass rush.
to do with a modification he made to the schematic. Throughout the game, he called a lot of press man coverage instead of soft zone coverage, which made Lawrence hold the ball longer than he would have liked to and gave the 49ers pass rush the opportunity to win. The aggressive coverage cost Wilks some plays due to pass interference and illegal contact, but overall, the 49ers were better off in the trade-off. Wilks made a good bye-week adjustment. Kyle Shanahan also made a really good change. Rather than giving McCaffrey as many touches as they could, as they have done all season, the 49ers limited his carrying and threw him more passes—ten, to be exact. And he assumed control of the first time since Week 4 in a game. It makes sense to use McCaffrey more frequently as a receiver because he will withstand more hits and be more difficult to stop. Today served as a reminder to everyone that the 49ers possess the weapons and quarterback to throw the ball much more frequently than they usually do. The 49ers are currently 6-3; they will defeat the Bucs the following week and will be 7-3 when they play the Eagles in Philadelphia. The season seems to be just getting started.