Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars currently hold the longest active win streak in the NFL (5) and will be playing host to the San Francisco 49ers in week 10. After starting their season off 5-0, the 49ers have now lost three consecutive games and will be looking to avoid making it four.
Both teams are coming off their bye week and will be aiming to get some key players back. For San Francisco, they have been missing Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel since week six. Trent Williams, who was limited in practice on Thursday, will most likely be a game-time decision according to Kyle Shanahan. On the other hand, Deebo Samuel has been a full participant this week and will more than likely make his return this week.
Jacksonville was dealing with some key injuries as well and will be looking to possibly get Zay Jones, Tyson Campbell, and Andre Cisco back. Zay Jones has only appeared in three games so far this season as he has been dealing with a lingering knee injury but has been limited in practice this week. Tyson Campbell, who has missed the last two games, and Andre Cisco, who left the Saints game early, are both on track to play this week.
San Francisco has one of the best offenses in the NFL this season as they rank fourth in points per game (27.3), and they’re top five in yards, red zone efficiency, and third down conversion percentage. Brock Purdy got off to a sensational start as the Niners went 5-0 and Purdy threw for nine touchdowns with zero interceptions. Once Trent and Deebo went down versus the Browns, they started to spiral and that was the beginning of their three-game losing streak. During their last three losses, Purdy has thrown just three touchdowns to five interceptions, and they’ve not looked like the same team as they did early on.
The 49ers still have a loaded offense with Christian McCaffrey, who is tied for first in the NFL with 13 total touchdowns, George Kittle is one of the best tight ends in the league, and two great wideouts in Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Kyle Shannan and this offense will have their hands full with a talented Jaguars defense that is playing at an exceptionally high level right now.
Jacksonville’s defense comes into this matchup as one of the best defenses in the NFL as they’re tied for first in the NFL with 18 total takeaways. Josh Allen has led the way for this defense as he currently has nine sacks, 39 quarterback pressures, and two forced fumbles. In the secondary, Darious Williams has been putting together a career year as he’s recorded three interceptions, has allowed zero touchdowns in coverage, and ranks first in the NFL with 14 passes deflected. Linebacker Foye Oluokun has been sensational this season as he leads the team with 62 total tackles and has 325 coverage snaps without allowing a touchdown, the most among all linebackers in the NFL. Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell has done a great job of mixing up coverages and having his players in positions to make a play on the ball.
The 49ers have one of the best defenses in the NFL and they have All-Pro talent on all three levels. Steve Wilks, the defensive coordinator, has been struggling during their losing streak and will now be adding Chase Young to the mix, who they acquired at the trade deadline from the Washington Commanders. Although the Niners are ranked 24th in the NFL in total sacks, they have gotten pressure on opposing quarterbacks on over 40% of dropbacks and have still been wreaking havoc in the backfield. Wilks and this defense, led by Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, run a lot of cover two flat zone concepts and will be forcing Trevor Lawrence to make plays with his arm this Sunday.
On the offensive side of the ball, Jacksonville has been a tad underwhelming in terms of the expectations heading into the season, but Trevor Lawrence has been exceptional in his role. Trevor ranks first in the NFL in terms of big-time throws (20+ yards) as he has completed 15/29 such passes, with five touchdowns to zero interceptions, and has a 98.3 passing grade. Lawrence has also been one of the best in attacking zone coverages this season as he ranks first in quarterback rating (QBR), second in completion percentage, and tied for second in touchdown touchdown-to-interception ratio when throwing against zone coverage.
Running back Travis Etienne has been the engine for this offense as he has now scored a touchdown in four consecutive games, and is tied for third in the NFL with eight total scored on the season. Expect Jacksonville to play a lot of five out this week with an empty backfield to spread the Niners’ defense out, and to get the ball out of Trevor’s hands quickly. On down and distance plays, expect to see a lot of catches from Evan Engram and Christian Kirk in the intermediate passing game; they will get a lot of yards after the catch.
Despite the Jaguars being on a five-game win streak, the 49ers are still favored (-3) on the road in Jacksonville. The Jaguars are 6-2 this season against the spread and will look to continue their hot streak while getting a big-time win.
Kickoff will be at Everbank Stadium on Nov.12 at 1 PM EST.