With the Jacksonville Jaguars coming off a bye week and their best stretch of the season, now is the perfect time to host the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers will travel to Jacksonville after also coming off their bye. And since both teams had an extra week of preparation, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan should have their squads playing at their best.
San Francisco is loaded with talent, its head coach is one of the best in the league. So Jacksonville will need a team effort in order to come away with a victory.
Here are five Jaguars players to watch against the 49ers in Week 10:
OT Cam Robinson
The 49ers have one of the scariest defensive fronts in the NFL. And the Jaguars are still working on optimizing their offensive side of the trenches.
Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Javon Hargrave, and the newly acquired Chase Young won’t be able to be neutralized entirely. But maybe Jacksonville can slow the players down.
Jacksonville offensive lineman Cam Robinson may be the key to keeping San Francisco at bay.
Bosa is the best player on the line, and he won the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year award. And he will likely see Robinson for much of the game.
Robinson will need to give quarterback Trevor Lawrence as much time as possible against San Francisco’s elite defense.
QB Trevor Lawrence
Lawrence has no easy task this Sunday. He’s playing against a defense with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, a number of impressive defensive linemen, talented linebackers, and a tough secondary.
Lawrence is a top passer in the league, but San Francisco’s defense gives even the most experienced quarterbacks headaches.
The Jacksonville quarterback will need to take what the defense gives him and take advantage of every opening if he wants to lead the Jaguars to a win. Lawrence is averaging 241.9 yards and just about one touchdown a game.
WR Christian Kirk
Christian Kirk has been Lawrence’s most reliable target all season long. He’ll need to continue to be that Sunday against a tough defense.
Kirk leads the team in receiving yards with 520 yards and three touchdowns on 43 receptions. He’s a great route runner in the short game and has the ability to get open against man and find holes in zones.
If the San Francisco pass rush is as advertised, Kirk will need to get open fast to give Lawrence a quick option. And he may need to break a few big plays to keep the Jaguars offense unpredictable and explosive.
LB Foye Oluokun
The whole Jacksonville defense will need to be as alert as ever playing an offense designed by Shanahan. And linebacker Foye Oluokun will be the center of the Jags’ defense.
Oluokun is the defensive leader and communicator, but he also has the skills to give the 49ers trouble.
Oluokun is the team’s leading tackler, but he is now facing a team with some of the hardest players to tackle. Running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, and versatile playmaker Deebo Samuel, who is still working back from an injury, are elite weapons.
Oluokun may also need to disrupt Brock Purdy’s passing lanes if the Jaguars have any shot to win. When in structure, Purdy has played as a top quarterback, but when he’s forced to ad-lib, he starts to struggle.
OLB Josh Allen
The Jaguars may not have the same defensive line as the 49ers, but they do have the most productive pass rusher of the matchup. Edge rusher Josh Allen has nine sacks, tied for fifth in the league, which is more than any player on San Francisco.
Allen has been one of the best edge rushers in the league this year, and he has a shot to make an impact against a struggling 49ers offensive line — especially if Trent Williams is out again. The more disruptive he is, the more trouble San Francisco will have moving the ball.
He has the ability to be in Purdy’s face the whole game, which could force the young 49ers quarterback into enough tough situations to give Jacksonville a win Sunday.
