The 49ers sent a clear message to the rest of the NFL after defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-3 at EverBank Stadium on Sunday.
On Monday’s episode of FS1’s “Undisputed,” former All-Pro defensive back Richard Sherman argued why the 49ers are once again the team to beat in the NFC after their dominant performance in Jacksonville.
“They have healed the things that have been bothering them for the last three weeks,” Sherman said. “They play better defensively. They put pressure on the quarterback. They go back to basics, Fred Warner with the interception, Talanoa Hufanga with the interception. The D-Line comes under pressure, [and] Chase Young comes in and adds a whole different element. Someone other than Nicholas John Bosa is being chipped. Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead get to work. Randy Gregory put some pressure on the quarterback.
“It’s really fun to see Charvarius Ward get some [pass breakups]; looked really good. When the quarterback is under pressure, everything looks different. Everything looks better. They held a team on a five-game winning streak to three points at home. It’s an East Coast time zone trip that West Coast teams always struggle with. It’s a 10 a.m. start, which West Coast teams always struggle with.”
The 49ers’ defensive front wreaked havoc on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, recording five sacks while seven different players recorded at least one pressure in Sunday’s win.
San Francisco’s relentless defensive pressure forced the Jaguars’ offense into four turnovers, setting a season-high in takeaways for the 49ers’ defense.
Sherman also pointed out that the 49ers’ offense was just as impressive, topping 30 points for the first time since Week 5 after San Francisco’s string of poor scoring during its three-game losing streak.
“Score 34 points on offense after a bye,” Sherman explained. “Brock Purdy, three touchdowns [and] 296 meters. Skip, I don’t even need to look at the notes. I know what it looks like when the San Francisco 49ers play. Sixteen runs for Christian McCaffrey for 95 yards, plus a couple of grabs for about 47 yards. They did their best to get him into the end zone at the end of the game. It could have been 41 points if they had just tried to score instead of trying to get Christian to score, but he deserved that chance and Kyle tried to get it for him.”
Sherman also noted defensive coordinator Steve Wilks’ decision to move from the locker room to the field during games, explaining that move will likely be permanent after his unit’s exceptional performance on Sunday.
“I think they will lock the cabin and not let you in [Steve] “Wilks is staying in this locker room for the rest of the year,” Sherman quipped. “I think they’ll lock the door and hide the key.”
After a difficult stretch, the 49ers are back where they expected to be among the league’s elite teams. San Francisco will look to build on this impressive win when it takes on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.
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