49ers Right The Ship In Jacksonville
After a disappointing 3 game slide into the bye week, San Francisco beats up an AFC contender 34-3 to get back into form
Fresh off a three game losing streak 49ers fans, players and coaches alike were disappointed with how the team was playing as they headed into their Week 9 bye week. After a week of rest and recalibration they faced another difficult matchup. A 10 am kickoff on the East Coast versus the 6-2 Jacksonville Jaguars was no easy test, but San Francisco passed with flying colors.
Offense
Back on Track
In the 49ers three losses during the month of October the offense played below it’s usual standard. Issues converting in the red zone and sloppy turnovers left a lot of points on the field despite racking up a lot of yards. In Week 10, against a Jacksonville defense that ranked 3rd in Total Defensive DVOA coming into the game, they scored 34 Points, had 437 Total Yards and committed zero turnovers. They did all that while still only going 4-12 on 3rd Down, 1-4 in the Red Zone and committing 7 penalties for 90 yards. There are multiple reasons for the offensive explosion, but the returns of WR Deebo Samuel and LT Trent Williams felt like the biggest.
Samuel had 60 total yards and a score on 7 touches in the game, routinely showing his versatility and playmaking ability. Williams despite being around “70% - 75%” due to an injured ankle, helped revitalize a previously stagnant run game. Williams wasn’t perfect, he did allow 4 pressures in a very tough matchup with the Jaguars star pass rusher Josh Allen, but his ability to play in space and set the tone changed the overall feel of the offense. Adding a layer of toughness that seemed to be missing without him. No play better encapsulates their impact than this end around score to Samuel with Trent Williams lead blocking out in space. A play that was the metaphorical dagger in any Jags comeback hopes.
Shanahan Microscope
Another reason for the offensive fireworks was the play calling. Very few play callers find and attack a team’s linebackers quite like Kyle Shanahan, when you give him an extra week to prep it almost ensures they will be in hell for 60 minutes. Devin Lloyd and Foyesade Oluokun have both had tremendous starts to the 2023 season and have been a big reason for the Jaguars defensive success, but they struggled greatly on Sunday. The 49ers, per usual, spammed motion, misdirection and used eye candy to get their playmakers the ball out in space. The opening script (shown below) is a perfect microcosm of how San Francisco uses motion and a variety of formations and personnel to attack defenses.
Right Tackle Concerns
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the 49ers offense on Sunday. The right side of the offensive line, particularly Right Tackle, remains a big area of concern. RT Colton McKivitz once again struggled in both the run game and pass pro, finishing with 4 pressures allowed, the most on the team. The other player with 4, Trent Williams, was injured and facing an All-Pro EDGE, McKivitz doesn’t have those same excuses. He primarily was matched up with EDGE Travon Walker. The former #1 pick, while physically talented, hasn’t blossomed into much of a pass rusher yet. Too many plays looked like the one below, with McKivitz getting blasted back into QB Brock Purdy’s lap and effecting the throw.
Unfortunately for the 49ers this has been a problem all year and is a big weakness for a team with championship aspirations. With HC Kyle Shanahan announcing after the game that McKivitz is dealing with an ankle injury, a new face may be given the shot to take that job. Whether it be veteran RT Matt Pryor or 3rd year LT Jaylon Moore, who played well in replacement for Trent Williams in Weeks 7 & 8, San Francisco may be looking for a new Right Tackle down the stretch run.
Defense
Pass Rush Production
Week 10 featured the debut of the 49ers shiny new defensive toy in Chase Young. The former number 2 overall pick was brought in to help boost the pass rush and if the first week is any indication it’s going to work quite well. The 49ers 16 total pressures on defense is a number that might not pop off the screen but the total number was lower in large part to QB Trevor Lawrence getting the ball out quickly. Lawrences 2.52 TTT is the 5th quickest in the league and often uses his quick release to neutralize pressure, a necessity given the state of the Jaguars offensive line. However, when the 49ers defense was able to make him hold the ball the pass rush got home for 6 sacks and a forced fumble. While Lawrence was able to get the ball out quick for the most part his 2.86 TTT did come in as his highest mark of the year, a mark that spiked as high as it did due to the coverage on the backend for San Francisco.
New Look Secondary
No one needed the bye week more than the 49ers coverage unit. After struggling versus the Vikings and Browns they had one of their worst performances in a long time against Joe Burrow and the Bengals. Coming out of the bye week they shook things up by moving around some roles. Former 3rd Round Pick Ambry Thomas came in at RCB, moving Deommodore Lenoir inside to NCB and bumping Isaiah Oliver to the bench.
Thomas, who has had his fair share of struggles over the past few years, was more than up to the task on Sunday. Not only did he hold his own versus a talented Jacksonville WR core, he had one of the biggest plays of the game when he forced a fumble in the Red Zone that would have been a TD the other way if not for a penalty on the 49ers sideline.
Thomas allowed only 14 yards on 3 Targets on Sunday, routinely showing the ability to hold up in coverage against a group of talented pass catchers. It wasn’t all perfect for Thomas, there were plenty of reps he was beat on and simply not targeted (as is the nature of playing defensive back). This comeback in the 3rd Quarter by Ridley hints at his issues of bailing too hard in zone coverage that have been prevalent in his game for a few years now.
But Thomas being able to soak up snaps on the outside is huge for the Niners defense because of the butterfly effect it creates. Isaiah Oliver over the past month of football had been a massive liability in coverage, especially when matched up with quicker slot receivers in man coverage. Thomas coming in on the outside allows San Francisco to move Lenoir, a much better coverage CB, into the slot. Don’t let Lenoir’s stat line fool you, he was tremendous as an underneath coverage player all day. The zone spacing and communication from the 2nd level was significantly better than it had been in recent weeks with him inside. It remains to be seen how sustainable putting Thomas in on the outside is but through one week the results have been amazing. A potential solution to their coverage woes is vitally important for an NFC playoff race that will see them face multiple teams with high caliber slot WRs.
Next Week
Next week poses a big test for this new look secondary. Future HOF Mike Evans is a different type of WR than what the Jaguars have and will test how well Ambry Thomas can hold up on the outside. The Bucs issues with pass protection and sustaining the running game indicate the 49ers defense should likely roll again but keep an eye on the coverage matchups in this game, as it should be a good indicator of the sustainability of this units Week 10 success.