The 49ers faceplanted into their bye week with three consecutive losses to the Browns, Vikings and Bengals. Getting back in the win column won’t be easy in Jacksonville on Sunday.
The Jaguars are also coming off their bye week and they enter Sunday’s game riding five consecutive victories.
For San Francisco it’s easy to point to injuries as part of their problem, but there have been some issues that go beyond injured players. The good news is those problems aren’t due to a lack of talent where wholesale changes are needed to right the ship.
Here are four things the 49ers need to do in Jacksonville to get back on a winning track:
1
Tackle
The 49ers missed 22 tackles in their two games leading into the bye week. This leads to explosive plays and allows teams to turn second or third-and-long into second or third-and-short. If San Francisco can tackle and limit their misses, that alone will help spark a defensive turnaround.
2
Get Deebo involved
The 49ers haven’t had a full game of Deebo Samuel since Week 5. His absence hasn’t explained all of their offensive struggles, but getting him back will certainly help. San Francisco should obviously feed Samuel. He’s a tone-setter for them and his ability to create explosive plays as a runner and pass catcher can change the entire complexion of the 49ers’ offense. However, they also need to get him on the move pre-snap to help offset potentially not having Trent Williams paving the way on the left side. If they can move defenses around with Samuel’s pre-snap motion it should give them an opportunity to get positive numbers advantages without Williams on the field.
3
Stop giving the ball to the other team
Turnovers are bad and if the 49ers stop doing them it will help. This is hardcore football analysis. You’re welcome.
4
Red zone touchdowns
One of the misconceptions of the 49ers’ struggles is that their offense has entirely bogged down. That’s not entirely true. In Minnesota they ripped off 6.1 yards per play. Against the Bengals they went at 8.2 yards per play. The problem has been the turnovers, and that they’re converting only 50 percent of their red zone trips into touchdowns. For the season they’re at 65.6 percent. In the last two games they’re three-for-six and turned it over in the red zone twice in those games. Turning those giveaways into touchdowns dramatically changes the outcome of the last contests, and it will make a difference Sunday in Jacksonville.
5
Sack the quarterback
Sacking the quarterback isn’t always indicative of a better pass rush, but for the 49ers they have enough talent on their defensive front that better overall play will beget more sacks. The pressures have been there for San Francisco, they’ve just not been good enough in coverage to let the pass rush get home before the QB gets rid of the ball. If they’re getting some sacks, particularly on third down, it’s a sign that the rest of the defense has improved.
