The 49ers flat-out dominated in all aspects of the field on Sunday in a statement win.
The San Francisco 49ers dominated the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 34-3 win on Sunday, improving to 6-3 on the season and snapping a three-game losing streak.
Offensively, the 49ers returned to their old selves, scoring 30 points, while quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 296 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, San Francisco forced four turnovers, picking off Trevor Lawrence twice, while forcing two fumbles, including one in the redzone.
Here are three quick takeaways from the 49ers 34-3 win over the Jaguars on Sunday.
Turnovers
Coming into this matchup, I said interceptions were going to be a key to victory in this game, as the 49ers and Jaguars were tied for first in the league in forcing turnovers through the air at 1.4 per game.
Additionally, quarterback Brock Purdy had struggled to protect the football, throwing five interceptions in the three losses after tossing zero through the first five games.
Taking care of the football was going to be integral in this game, and that proved to be the case, as the 49ers didn’t turn the ball over once, while the Jaguars had four turnovers: two interceptions and two fumbles.
Lawrence, consistently under pressure, had two interceptions while the Jaguars were moving the ball on respective drives.
Additionally, the 49ers forced a Christian Kirk fumble in the redzone, thanks to cornerback Ambry Thomas that was a major momentum shifter, while Lawrence was strip-sacked as well in the first half.
The 49ers needed a dominant performance to begin the half, and they got that from their defense, who forced four takeaways, while the offense gave up zero of their own.
Run Game
Across the three losses, the 49ers struggled to develop the run game to the levels they were accustomed to early on, which could be coincided with Christian McCaffrey’s rib/oblique injury that he played through and Trent Williams’s ankle injury.
Entering the game, the Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the league’s best run defenses, allowing just 79.3 rush yards per game and 3.6 yards per carry, both of which were fourth in the NFL.
Meanwhile, the 49ers defense came in allowing 122.7 rushing yards and 4.5 yards per carry over their last three games, which was 24th and 26th in the NFL during that span, respectively.
However, it was San Francisco that dominated the run game on Sunday, as San Francisco reached the 30-carry marker, rushing for 144 yards on 4.8 yards per carry, while limiting Jacksonville to 59 yards on 17 attempts.
Christian McCaffrey looked healthy, rushing for 96 yards on 14 attempts prior to garbage time, while Trent Williams was a major addition back in the starting lineup, helping pave the way in that element of the game.
Additionally, San Francisco welcomed back Deebo Samuel, who found the endzone and got 29 rushing yards on three attempts, and gave more of a workload to Elijah Mitchell, albeit a few of his eight carries came in garbage time.
If the 49ers can re-establish their run game, while being more sound with their execution defensively on the ground, it’ll set the tone for the second half of their season.
Sunday was a good start in looking to accomplish that goal.
Getting to the quarterback
Another one of my keys to victory was getting to the quarterback, as 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had been pressured on 38.3 percent of his dropbacks entering the game, the 12th-highest mark of a quarterback who’s dropped back at least 75 times this season, according to PFF.
Meanwhile, Trevor Lawrence came in at 34th, seeing pressure on 29.6 percent of his dropbacks along the same criteria, according to PFF.
Well, while Purdy did see some pressure at times, the 49ers overwhelmed a solid Jaguars offensive line, as new addition Chase Young played a major role opposite Nick Bosa.
Overall, the 49ers sacked Lawrence five times, with Javon Hargrave, Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa, and Chase Young all getting in on the action.
It was a huge game for Bosa specifically, who earned a half-sack on three separate occasions, while forcing the strip sack on Trevor Lawrence in the first half.
The 49ers defensive line did their part after some quiet games from marquee players and were crucial in limiting Lawrence’s ability to get in a rhythm.
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