The arrival of Chase Young, the shift of coordinator Steve Wilks from the booth to the sideline, or a combination of these factors all contributed to San Francisco’s defense’s improvement during the bye week.
The 49ers struggled to stop the run, applied little pressure, and had coverage lapses during a three-game losing streak. However, against Jacksonville, San Francisco’s defence reverted to its dominant early-season form.
“It seemed that way. It appeared to be. Linebacker Fred Warner stated, “Going into the game, I was confident.” “I believe Coach Wilks called the perfect game—just kind of the self-reflection during the bye week of what we need to be in terms of play styles. For the entire game, we made Trevor Lawrence’s life difficult. That’s how it appears when we’re playing hard.
In the 34-3 victory over the Jaguars last week, San Francisco finished with five sacks, which they hope to carry over to the second half of the season. This was made possible in part by a few strategic adjustments and the addition of Young, a bookend pass rusher opposite Nick Bosa. Young also generated four takeaways and allowed only one field goal.
It was a far cry from the team’s three previous losses, in which the defence was mostly to blame. Pro Football Focus reports that the Niners missed 32 tackles in those games as opposed to only nine in the three games prior. During the losing streak, San Francisco gave up 15 plays of 20 yards or more, as opposed to 10 in the opening five games.
Regarding the difficulties, Warner remarked, “I wish I had an answer for it.” It’s challenging for me to pinpoint the exact cause as well because it wasn’t us. Not that someone wasn’t making an effort. Simply put, it fell short of our expectations on all three levels. Playing hard in terms of tackling covers up a lot of stuff. Some things can be covered up in this way, even if a guy forgets an assignment. If you’re playing fast, you’re playing violent. I believed that play style was the most important thing we should return to.
Bosa claimed that the front seven performed far better against the run, producing negative plays and setting edges that resulted in more clear-cut passing opportunities.
Then, when the tight coverage halted quick throws, San Francisco added Young, who was acquired from Washington at the trade deadline, adding another intimidating pass rusher who increased opportunities for everyone.
When we were there, you looked in the back, and nobody was available, Bosa stated, referring to our sack opportunities. Then, we might have had a swift victory on the line if a person was available. It went really well together.
However, the Niners are aware that it was only one game, and they must continue playing at that level in order to win the division, potentially secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and ultimately advance to the Super Bowl after missing out on the conference championship game the previous two seasons.
They therefore cannot relax, as they may have done a little after overwhelming Dallas to move to 5-0. After the victory, San Francisco dropped its next three games.
