The San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars face off in a huge game for both teams this weekend. On one side, the 49ers are undefeated thanks to a revitalized defense under Robert Saleh. The Jaguars, however, are 2-1 and attribute their success to an offensive overhaul under new head coach Liam Coen. He will match wits against Kyle Shanahan in Week 4 as he looks for a win.
Jacksonville has implemented new strategies this season that stand out. The Jaguars re-discovered Travis Etienne Jr. and have Trevor Lawrence back near his peak. However, Saleh faces a new challenge in Week 4. Throughout the first three games of the season, Coen and Jacksonville have discovered a way to steal signs from the opposing defense without breaking any rules.
Knowing what a defense is calling gives the opposing offense a massive advantage. Coen has led the Jaguars offense to a hot start, scoring 23.3 points per game, the same as the 3-0 Los Angeles Chargers. Saleh spoke to the media about Jacksonville's new strategy, admiring the fact that Coen figured out how to steal signs legally. He offered his respect to the Jaguars' coaching staff.
“Whatever nugget they can find, they catch it,” Saleh said. “They always happen to find themselves in good situations based on the coverages shown. There’s nothing illegal about it. You can tell that they have a system that's getting them into a very advantageous position multiple times during the course of a game.”
San Francisco will have to deal with the Jaguars' system without the help of their main defensive star. The 49ers lost defensive end Nick Bosa to a torn ACL during their Week 3 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Despite some early hope from his coaches, he will miss the rest of the season.
Regardless of who is on the field, Saleh and Shanahan have their work cut out for them against Coen and Jacksonville at home on Sunday.
