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NFC Game Of The Week
San Francisco 49ers at Jacksonville Jaguars
49ers: I said it on the radio and I will say it here. The bully doesn’t like to be bullied or get a taste of their own medicine. This is a team that’s known as a physical group and when you play their own game against them, they don’t like that and that is exactly what’s been going on with them during this losing streak. They got all they could handle from the Cleveland Browns, but Cleveland matched the physicality and I feel they unveiled the blueprint on how to attack this team. The following week against the Minnesota Vikings, you saw the 49ers be careless with the football and when you turn the ball over in this sport, good things will never happen. What shocked me was how flat they looked against the Cincinnati Bengals prior to their bye week because the Bengals have never been known to be a physical football team and they turned up the physicality a notch handing San Fran their third consecutive loss since the 5-0 start. The minute Brock Purdy lost a game, I knew the slander was going to come. “He’s not good”, or, my personal favorite: “He’s Been Exposed”! A majority of the people slandering him have Quarterback issues of their own with their team and I bet you they’d be silent if Brock were their Quarterback, but that’s another topic for another day. John Lynch made a splash move during their bye week and acquired Chase Young from the Washington Commanders. This front seven officially has a big three up front with Chase Young, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner patrolling the middle as the Middle Linebacker. Is this the move that will put them over the top in the NFC? Only time is going to tell. They return off the bye week and make a trip to Florida this Sunday.
Jaguars: This is one of the hottest teams in the league right now. Ever since the week three loss to the Houston Texans, they have won five games in a row. When they were on that losing streak, many were beginning to question them. Now, they’ve been looking like the team who was the projected favorite to win the AFC South and they’ve been doing it in all phases of the game. The Jaguars can put points up on the scoreboard and win the shootouts and they can ugly games up by playing that physical brand of football which is my personal favorite, especially when there’s some balance to it. I love what I’ve seen from their defense this year. They’ve been so dominant when it comes to forcing the takeaways and if I can be honest, that’s a blessing and a curse at the same time. The positive of it is they can get the takeaway to get the ball back to their offense. Who doesn’t love that? The negative of it is depending on the takeaway a bit too much and when you don’t force it, then what happens next? Jacksonville has also been excellent on third downs and getting off the field. What concerns me is their inability to limit the passing plays down the field and come playoff team a team such as Kansas City, the Bengals or even the Ravens would beat them when it matters the most. Speaking of the AFC, the talk has been the Chiefs, the Ravens, Buffalo (when they aren’t being strange), the Dolphins and Bengals who are beginning to heat up. Don’t forget this group in Florida because this is a good football team who plays hard for Doug Pederson. This Sunday, they return off the bye week for a showdown with a powerhouse in the NFC in the San Francisco 49ers.
49ers X-Factor: Brandon Aiyuk– While Deebo Samuel may be one of their other versatile weapons next to Christian McCaffrey, Brandon is their best pure Wide Receiver. I’m talking about the guy that can create on the outside and get up the field or run over the middle to make that catch in traffic. I’m also talking about the guy that can be targeted to move the chains. That’s Brandon for this offense. He quietly goes about his business and he’s one of Brock’s favorite targets, especially in the red zone.
Jaguars X-Factor: Josh Allen– They also have a guy with the same name as the Bills Quarterback! I remember his college days at the University of Kentucky. He was force in college and has been the same since coming into the league. Josh brings the energy to this Jacksonville defense and he’s always around or near that football. Pass rushing has also been his speciality and he has nine sacks on the season. His numbers have been impressive this year and he will need to bring his all in this game on Sunday.
Final Thoughts: Both teams enter after coming off bye weeks and they each enter this game with streaks. One is on a five-game winning streak while the other is on a five-game losing streak so something will be snapped here on Sunday. Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel are expected to be back for this game and you’ll see how much of a difference they both make on the field compared to how flat they looked without either guy. I look for the 9ers to use a mix of running and passing, especially passing the ball considering Jacksonville struggles to stop the pass. I expect to see a lot of Kittle and Aiyuk. Jacksonville must get that push up front to pressure Brock Purdy. I’d get him into as many long yardage situations as possible. Make him throw over the top and contain him because he’s a sneaky athletic guy that can extend plays and move the pocket when necessary. Can the 49ers get back to being the bully instead of being bullied? This is the game for them to get that swagger back. I like the 49ers to snap the losing streak and get a big win on the road.
Prediction: 49ers 31, Jaguars 21
