The 49ers are suddenly in the thick of the NFC playoff picture after their second straight dominant performance. A week after upsetting the Los Angeles Rams, the 49ers relied on a similar formula to take down the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 30-10 road win Sunday.
In some ways, the Week 11 victory was a mirror of the Week 10 win. The 49ers asserted themselves with an absolutely dominant opening drive. The 20-play series went 93 yards and took up 13:05 off the clock as the longest NFL series in 20 years … but resulted in a 20-yard field goal. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan got roasted on Twitter for settling for three points, but it hardly mattered on an afternoon where the 49ers made the Jaguars look like a JV squad.
"We knew how much our backs were against the wall before that Rams game," Shanahan told reporters after the game, via the 49ers YouTube channel. "We also know that meant nothing if we couldn't win today."
San Francisco controlled the ball for 38:22 compared to Jacksonville’s 21:38 and flummoxed No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence all afternoon. The defense dominated for the second straight week and held the Jags to 200 total yards, their lone touchdown coming in garbage time. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel showcased his skills again out of the backfield and led the 49ers rushing attack with 79 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Nick Bosa wrecked shop and recorded his ninth and 10th sacks of the year. The 49ers forced two turnovers. George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk scored touchdowns.
About the only thing that could have made the afternoon better for the 49ers is if big man Trent Williams hauled in a touchdown in double coverage in the third quarter.
"He's been talking to me about that the day I met him," Shanahan said. "He didn't get open like he promised me he would."
But Jimmy Garoppolo settled for his 16-of-22, 176 yards and two touchdowns while staying within Shanahan’s game plan. He didn’t need to take any home run swings with the way they moved the chains with 25 first downs.
The 49ers won consecutive games against the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles to begin the year, but the momentum feels different around the two latest victories. San Francisco is back to playing with the imposing style that was the hallmark of the team’s lone winning season with Shanahan in 2019 that resulted in a Super Bowl berth.
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Even without starting running back Elijah Mitchell (broken finger) and third-down specialist JaMycal Hasty, the 49ers had their way with its running attack for 171 yards on 4.4 yards per carry. Once again, the 49ers surpassed 40 carries by registering 42. Rookie running back Trey Sermon contributed 10 carries for 32 yards in his first extended action since Week 5, while rookie quarterback Trey Lance even got to play a series to close out the game.
With their record sitting at 5-5, the 49ers’ home matchup against the 5-5 Minnesota Vikings next Sunday carries some weight in the developing NFC playoff race. Following Week 11's early-window games, the Vikings and New Orleans Saints (5-5) hold tiebreakers over the 49ers for the final two NFC Wild Card spots.
It seemed the sky was falling in Santa Clara following the Week 9 loss to Colt McCoy and the ‘B’ team Arizona Cardinals but the 49ers have turned the tenor of their season with the past eight quarters.
"After that Arizona game, [morale] was pretty low," Shanahan said. "We were real embarrassed with how we looked. We saw the tape and saw a lot of stuff that we felt we could fix."
Shanahan’s style of football is a sight to behold when it works, like it did Sunday in Jacksonville.
