SANTA CLARA – Nick Bosa’s void would be easy to blame if the 49ers lose at home for the first time ever to the Jacksonville Jaguars, albeit in only their third-ever visit. Or it could be pinned on George Kittle’s absence. Or Brock Purdy’s tender toe.
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The 49ers haven’t had to resort to such an excuse, so far.
They’re 3-0 by virtue of fourth-quarter escapes in one-score games each Sunday, ever since the season began with Bosa’s win-clinching sack in Seattle.
The 49ers strained this past week to utter the next-man-up cliché when it comes to Bosa’s season-ending knee injury in last Sunday’s 16-15 home-opening win over Arizona. It’ll take a collective effort and/or a rising star to fill Bosa’s void.
“The mission is still the same: We’re going to find a way to get one win this week and figure out the rest later,” linebacker Fred Warner said.
Here are five ways we figure the 49ers can defeat the Jaguars (2-1):
1. D-LINE BY COMMITTEE
The Detroit Lions’ defense survived last season after losing star Aiden Hutchinson in Week 5, and even after injuries shelved a slew other defenders, and they still went 15-2 in the regular season. Cornerback Chase Lucas played on the 2022-23 Lions and watched that 2024 improbable survival while he was on the 49ers’ practice squad.
“It was like the most injured team and it still went to the second round of the playoffs,” recalled Lucas, now the 49ers’ backup nickel back. “It’s all about next man up and we need to find out about the guys behind Bosa. We’ve got good (expletive) guys.”
When the 49ers last faced the Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence in November 2023, they sacked him five times, intercepted him twice and Bosa combined on a strip-sack with Chase Young in a 34-3, post-bye rout that launched the Niners’ playoff push.
Now, the 49ers’ pass-rush threat will come from a defensive end combination of Bryce Huff, Mykel Williams, Sam Okuayinonu, and Yetur Gross-Matos. Williams would love to notch his first career sack and unveil a celebratory dance; it won’t be his fake-money tossing move at Georgia but possibly involve a shoulder shrug as an ode to Bosa.
Look for defensive coordinator Robert Saleh to dial up blitzes and be aggressive, perhaps sending a linebacker or defensive back up the gut against Jacksonville’s injured interior linemen.
2. SPY GAMES
Saleh deftly switched this week’s narrative away from a Bosa-baren unit by lobbying sign-stealing accusations Thursday against the Jaguars, as well as the Minnesota Vikings (his last opponent a year ago as the New York Jets’ coach) and the Los Angeles Rams (the 49ers’ next opponent).
“Liam (Coen, the Jaguars coach) and his staff, a couple of guys coming from Minnesota, they’ve got legally, a really advanced signal-stealing type system where they always find a way to put themselves in an advantageous situation,” Saleh said. “They do a great job with it. They formation you to just try to find any nugget they can.”
Nuggets such as … “whether it’s people from the sideline or whether it’s our individual hand signals,” added Saleh, acknowledging this is “not an uncommon thing” particularly among coaches with ties to the Rams’ Sean McVay, including Minnesota’s Kevin O’Connell (Rams offensive coordinator 2020-21) and Coen (Rams OC 2022).
Coach Kyle Shanahan subsequently downplayed the buzz and insisted Saleh actually was complimenting the Jaguars’ preparations.
Coen’s response Friday: “We have typically by formation, by game plan, by working really hard as a coaching staff throughout the week, trying to get indicators by your formation, motion, shift, pre-snap. Those are things you’re doing as a coach to put your players in best position to be successful.”
Three games in and the Jaguars are still seeking the best way to utilize the dual-threat talents of No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter.
The 49ers’ offense has its own intelligence operative in Mac Jones, who faced the Jaguars’ starting defense in last season’s practices often as the scout-team quarterback. Jones recalled those “competitive days” and doled out respect to starting linemen Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, Arik Armstead and DaVon Hamilton.
3. TURNOVER RATIO
The 49ers’ rebuilt defense has been surprisingly clutch, even more so considering it’s produced no interceptions through three games for the first time since 2018. Actually, it’s been a 10-game drought dating to last season.
Rather than save a win with last-drive heroics for a fourth straight game, the 49ers’ sixth-ranked pass defense needs to make momentum-seizing plays earlier, especially by creating takeaways.
Drafted first in 2021, Lawrence’s 50 interceptions are the third-most in the NFL since then, trailing Josh Allen (53) and Patrick Mahomes (51). Lawrence is being hurt by his butterfingered receivers this season: 14 drops among 50 incompletions, including four drops by Brian Thomas.
On the flip side, Jacksonville leads the NFL with seven interceptions and nine total takeaways, with multiple in each game. If the Jaguars notch two or more interceptions Sunday, they’ll become only the sixth team since 2000 to do so in each of their first four games. Shanahan credited the Jaguars’ defensive-front pressure and the defensive backs’ hands.
4. KEEP PURDY PROTECTED
Brock Purdy returns from a two-game hiatus, but his big toe surely won’t be at full strength and his mobility may be compromised. The Jaguars’ impressive defensive front is keyed by Hines-Allen and Walker while Armstead, the former 49ers’ mainstay, pairs inside with Hamilton and Maason Smith.
Purdy got walloped for too much in the opener in Seattle. He won’t be a sitting duck, however. He’ll try and escape when needed, rather than hold onto the ball too long like Jones often did.
Quick passes to Christian McCaffrey will be there even if Kittle is not for another two weeks. Adding Demarcus Robinson will help as he comes off a three-game suspension.
5. RUN GAME TOUCHDOWNS
The 49ers are still seeking their first rushing touchdown of the season, which seems ludicrous considering McCaffrey is healthy and hogging the carries circa 2023 (14 rushing touchdowns, NFL rushing title).
McCaffrey has yet to eclipse more than 69 yards (his Week 1 total) and his 176 total yards rank 17th in the NFL. All those ranked above him have scored, except for Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson. And all have a better yards-per-carry average than his (3.4) except for fellow workhorses Saquon Barkley (3.3) and Josh Jacobs (3.1).
His Jaguars counterpart, Travis Etienne Jr., opened with a 143-yard rushing game in Week 1, and he supplied the Jaguars’ winning points last Sunday with a 10-yard touchdown run inside the final two minutes of a 17-10 home win over the Texans.