The San Francisco 49ers are taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4 of the NFL season on Sunday, with kickoff set for 1:05 p.m. at Levi’s Stadium.
San Francisco improved to 3-0 last weekend with a tight 16-15 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, marking their third straight one-score game. They face a Jacksonville team that has gone 2-1, most recently beating the Houston Texans 17-10.
It’ll be a challenge for the 49ers, who will be without Nick Bosa among other players, as they get an early test in Week 4.
Here are three keys to a 49ers victory over the Jaguars on Sunday.
Calm down the gunslinging?
San Francisco has relied on its quarterbacks quite a bit to start the season. In fact, I pointed to the need for relying on quarterback play to open things up, which was the case in each of the team’s first three games.
However, they face a different challenge with the Jaguars on Sunday. Jacksonville has been the league’s best team at generating turnovers (averaging three per game), specifically getting them through the air (7 interceptions so far).
The Jaguars face a 49ers offense that likes to throw the ball and a quarterback who isn’t afraid to sling it. San Francisco can’t play conservative, but they need to limit turnovers in the air on Sunday. Establishing the run early would go a long way against the team that leads the NFL in average passer rating allowed.
Time to blitz more
The 49ers defense was rushing the passer at a high level with Nick Bosa on the edge, but they have a tall task ahead with him out for the season.
Bosa’s injury probably means more snaps for Bryce Huff, but there’s a clear difference with and without Bosa on the field. As a result, Robert Saleh will need to have some tricks up his sleeve and blitz more than usual.
Jacksonville’s offense has struggled in the air so far, with the run game being its bread and butter. Disrupting the aerial attack, especially on third downs, will help the team get off the field quicker.
Fix the red zone struggles
One of my biggest talking points all week has been San Francisco’s inefficiency running the ball in the red zone. Thus far, Christian McCaffrey has just seven rushing yards on 13 attempts. So, he’s getting the volume, just not the results.
That’s kept the 49ers in difficult second and third-down situations, forcing more field goals than they’d want. San Francisco currently ranks 24th in the NFL in red zone touchdown percentage, and they’re facing the No. 1 defense when it comes to limiting red zone opportunities. Jacksonville is also 11th in opponent red zone touchdown percentage, so they’re no slouch there.
San Francisco continues to play close, competitive games. The red zone absolutely matters in those, and they’ll need to be better in that department on Sunday.
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