49ers vs. Jaguars: 3 things to know about Week 11’s game

The Jacksonville Jaguars heartbreakingly fell to the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, but have to quickly put that past them this week. The reason for that is because they have a confident San Francisco 49ers group coming to Jacksonville with their minds set on acquiring a record of .500.

When looking at the history of both teams, there aren’t a lot of meetings that have occurred between the two, but it could be an entertaining matchup between two hungry teams.

Here are some things to know as we close in on Sunday’s battle:

The Jags haven't been as bad as some think agains the 49ers and can even up the series

Sep 19, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Detailed view of a Jacksonville Jaguars football helmet against the Denver Broncos at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

When it comes to west coast teams, Jags fans immediately start having bad thoughts but luckily this game will be on the Jags’ turf, and when looking at their history against the Niners, that’s a good thing. With a 2-3 record against the Niners, both of the Jags’ wins have come at home, though it’s been since 2005 since they’ve defeated them.

Another game took place that could’ve been classified as a “home” game, but it was for the international series and took place outside of TIAA Bank Field. So basically, the Niners have never won in Jacksonville.

The bad news is that the Jags have lost to San Francisco in their last three meetings (2009, 2014, and 2017), including the aforementioned international game. Their last meeting took place at Levi’s Stadium against a Jags group that eventually went to the AFC Championship but was unable to defeat Jimmy Garoppolo and Co., who won by a score of 44-33.

Sunday’s game marks an opportunity to end that three-game losing streak for the Jags. However, if they do, they will have to do so as underdogs as the Niners are favorites by 6.5 points.

Trent Baalke, Tom Gamble, and several others set to take on their former team

Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Urban Meyer talks with the team’s General Manager Trent Baalke on the practice fields outside TIAA Bank Field during the Jacksonville Jaguars mandatory veterans minicamp session Monday morning, June 14, 2021. [Florida Times-Union]

There are plenty of members from the Jags organization who are familiar with the Niners. The most notable one is their former general manager Trent Baalke, who they fired in January of 2017. Now, four years later Baalke has found himself with the Jags with the same title.

Many 49ers fans have been vocal about Baalke’s time in San Francisco (in a negative way mostly), but he was able to have some success there, and was able to win at least 11 games from 2011 to 2013. One of those seasons (2012) resulted in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, then during the following season, the Niners went to the NFC Championship but lost to the Seattle Seahawks.

During much of Baalke’s tenure in San Francisco, Tom Gamble, who is the Jags’ Senior Personnel Executive, was one of his right-hand men, too. He played a key role in snagging some of the players who made the Niners successful during Baalke’s tenure and rejoined him this year in Jacksonville.

There are also some notables on the Jags’ roster who were drafted by the Niners like quarterback C.J. Beathard and running back Carlos Hyde. The latter was drafted by Baalke, while the former was drafted a year after he was fired.

Don't be shocked to see a good old smash-mouth battle

Oct 31, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back James Robinson (25) rushes against the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The Niners are coming off a game where many would say they established a smash-mouth identity against a popular Super Bowl pick in the Los Angeles Rams. With this identity, many feel the Niners can get back on track, and when considering their struggles with success before Monday, they will be looking to bring that identity to Jacksonville.

The Niners ran the ball 44 times and challenged the Rams in a match of physicality. They won that battle by defeating the Rams by a score of 31-10, giving them a healthy dose of Elijah Mitchell and Deebo Samuel, who is a receiver with running back versatility.

As for the Jags, a smash-mouth approach is probably what they should take, too, as the Niners rushing defense ranks 23rd and is allowing an average of 122.8. They have a star in running back James Robinson who will be further removed from a Week 8 heel injury but had little trouble gashing the Indianapolis Colts.

So in a nutshell, this game could come down to who is the most physical unit. That could result in a lower-scoring game, but the hard-hitting action it could present should make up for it.

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