With both teams coming off of tough divisional matchups in Week 10, the Jacksonville Jaguars met the San Francisco 49ers in Florida for a game that had both teams destined for a letdown. The 49ers had just come off of a huge win over the Los Angeles Rams that virtually saved their season, and the Jaguars played the Indianapolis Colts to within a touchdown on the road. The main theme coming into this game was…would either team be able to muster enough “juice” to get through a non-emotional game?
Well, the 49ers had “it” and the Jaguars failed to show up for the Week 11 matchup, getting blown out of their home stadium 30-10. The final would have been even worse if not for a garbage-time touchdown by Jaguars running back James Robinson. While there may not seem like too much to take away from this matchup, we still got the job done for you– here are our three Jaguars' Week 11 takeaways from Sunday's Jaguars-49ers game.
*Watch the NFL LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Jaguars Week 11 Takeaways
3. The Jaguars will have to depend on Laviska Shenault more than they have (good)
With wide receiver D.J. Chark already on injured reserve and fellow wideout Jamal Agnew set to join him there after his injury last week, Shenault will be asked to step up in a big way. He has performed his best when in the slot, but the need in Jacksonville is on the outside, so that is where he must make his mark. Shenault started off on the right foot, by catching all five of his targets in Week 11, often making something out of nothing with his athleticism. His longest reception was for 16 yards, something that will have to change if the Jaguars are going to get back in the win column anytime soon.
If the Jaguars can mix-and-match Marvin Jones Jr. and Laquon Treadwell on the outside, it will afford Shenault more opportunities to make plays from the slot. The Jaguars have not seemed too inclined to try out this theory, but their hand may have been forced by the Agnew injury. They can continue to try to put Shenault on the outside– but that is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
2. Trevor Lawrence is going through growing pains (bad)
The Jaguars had 41 offensive snaps in Week 11, while the 49ers had 63. That is a huge difference and an indictment on the offense as a whole. A large portion falls on the quarterback, though, as it's his job to put the team in a position to win on third down. Lawrence is actually doing the opposite by constantly putting his team behind the 8-ball in terms of down-and-distance with poor reads and taking sacks (three in Week 11.) Lawrence has got to be better if this team is going to get any more wins this year.
To be fair, he is playing behind a patchwork offensive line that could only manage to block for 54 yards on 16 carries in Week 11, so take his rookie year struggles with as much proverbial salt as you like. With deteriorating skill players all around him and the aforementioned line issues, it doesn't seem like Lawrence will be busting out of his slump anytime soon.
1. Jacksonville had no answer for Deebo Samuel (ugly)
For the second week in a row, the 49ers found their running game in the form of wide receiver Deebo Samuel. With the rest of the offense averaging a putrid three yards per carry to a terrible Jaguars run-defense, Samuel averaged an other-worldly 9.9 yards per carry that included an electrifying 25-yard touchdown run. It has been a struggle all year long for the Jaguars to defend the run, and in the one game they actually do a good job at stopping the opposing running backs, a wide receiver goes off…it has just been that kind of year in Jacksonville.
Now sitting at third to last in the entire league in terms of stopping the run, this has been a season-long issue for the franchise. A part of defending the run definitely comes from your attitude, but the main ingredient for a good run defense is having the correct personnel. The Jaguars have possibly the least amount of talent as any team in the league on that side of the ball, so run defense figures to be one of the main focuses of their off-season. Add that to a wish list that includes offensive line reinforcements and more weaponry for Lawrence–speaking of which…
Follow Us
Subscribe