This weekend the San Francisco 49ers will face the Jacksonville Jaguars. Both teams are coming off a bye, but one team has had a losing streak while the other has been winning. The 49ers are currently 5-3, while the Jaguars are 6-2. The game will be held in Jacksonville. Here is what to watch for this weekend for the San Francisco 49ers.
San Francisco 49ers Getting Healthy
Good news coming from Thursday’s practice report. Offensive lineman, Trent Williams did practice with the team. Wide receiver, Deebo Samuel also was a full participant in practice this week. The offense is getting healthy, and just in time. Whether the three losses this year should be blamed on injuries or not, having these two players back will be huge. It is not confirmed that Williams will play this weekend, but it is starting to trend that way.
San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel (19) – AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn
Brock Purdy Limiting Turnovers
There has been one common denominator in the three losses of the season. Quarterback, Brock Purdy has thrown at least one interception in each loss. In the game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the interception in the red zone was truly a costly one. These are mistakes that Purdy cannot make as a starter. Considering that was a big mental mistake, there is a chance that stepping away during the bye week could have been a big help. He got a chance to clear his head, and this is almost a fresh start for him.
Having Deebo back will also help take off the pressure from Purdy. While it is just one player, Deebo being a threat in the run game and the passing game truly opens up the offense. Potentially having Williams back will also help. Williams will not only be important in blocking the pass rush, he is a great run blocker. Against the Bengals, Purdy was the leading rusher. While he played a great first half, Purdy should not be the team’s leading rusher. As long as Williams is healthy and playing, that should really open up the run game.
San Francisco 49ers DBs – Kym Fortino/San Francisco 49res
Steve Wilks Moving to the Field
Some news coming from the 49ers’ bye week was that defensive coordinator, Steve Wilks, will be doing the play calls from the field. This was a decision made by head coach Kyle Shanahan, as the defense has not been themselves for the past couple of weeks. Will it make a difference? That is what will be found out this weekend in Jacksonville.
Wilks knows that there has been criticism of him since the San Francisco 49ers started to lose. To that he stated that he is “built for this.” The idea of moving to the field is so he can communicate with the team more. Aside from that, Wilks did not make much of the move. Hopefully, Wilks being on the field gives a chance for more communication between him and the players on what needs to be changed during the game.
The 49ers were 5-0 with one of the top defenses to start the season. They need to figure out quickly what changed since the start of the season. This is a strong squad, but they fell apart in the past few weeks. The addition of Chase Young should also be a big help.
Former Commanders DE Chase Young – Alex Brandon/AP
San Francisco 49ers Defense Stepping Up
Along with Wilks moving to the field, it is time for the defense to step up this weekend. The defense has put up just 18 sacks this season, according to ESPN. They have also allowed opponents to have an average of 228.9 passing yards per game. The goal for the team is to improve the pass rush making it harder on the quarterback, and easier on the team’s defensive backs. Putting pressure on quarterback Trevor Lawrence will be the goal, especially knowing the 49ers plan to utilize Young, now that he has been with the team for over a week.
Lawrence has been sacked 19 times this season, according to ESPN. This could be the edge for the 49ers. Against the Steelers, Lawrence was sacked three times. While the Jaguars won the game, if the defense can finally make the stops, with a healthy offense the team could have a chance this weekend to bounce back.
