The 49ers sent an exciting message to the rest of the NFL after beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-3 at Everbank Stadium on Sunday.
On Monday’s episode of FS1’s “Undisputed,” former All-Pro defensive end Richard Sherman made his case for why the 49ers are once again the team to beat in the NFC after their dominant performance in Jacksonville.
“The last three weeks they’ve been healing things that have made them sick,” Sherman said. “They’re playing better defensively. They’re getting pressure on the quarterback. They’re getting back to basics, Fred Warner with an interception, Talanoa Hufanga with an interception. The D-line is getting pressure, [and] Chase Young arrives and adds other elements. None other than Nicolas John Bosa is chipping. Javon Hargrave and Aric Armstead go and do their job. Randy Gregory got some pressure on the quarterback.
“It’s really fun to see Charvaris Ward get some [pass breakups]; It was very good. When the pressure is on the quarterback, everything looks different. Everything looks good. They have won five consecutive games at home to keep the team within three points. It’s an East Coast time zone trip, and West Coast teams always struggle. It starts at 10am and the West Coast teams always battle it out.
The 49ers’ defensive front wreaked havoc on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, recording five sacks, while seven different players recorded at least one pressure in Sunday’s win.
San Francisco’s relentless defensive pressure forced the Jaguars’ offense to commit four turnovers, a season-high for the 49ers’ defense.
Sherman highlighted how the 49ers’ offense was equally impressive, surpassing 30 points for the first time in Week 5 after a string of meager scoring outputs during San Francisco’s three-game losing streak.
“For scoring 34 defensively, I got a boundary,” explained Sherman. “Brock Birdie, three touchdowns [and] 296 yards. Skip it, I don’t need to look at the notes. I know what it’s like when the San Francisco 49ers turn on. Christian McCaffrey had sixteen rushes for 95 yards and a pair of grabs for about 47 yards. They did everything they could to get him into the end zone at the end of the game. It could have been 41 points if they had tried to score instead of Christian trying to score, but he deserved that chance and Kyle tried to get it for him.
Sherman defensive coordinator Steve Wilks addressed the decision to move from the booth to the field during games, saying the change will be permanent after an exceptional showing from his unit on Sunday.
“I don’t think they’ll lock the booth [Steve] Wilkes will be in that booth the rest of the year,” Sherman joked. “I think they’re going to lock the door and hide the key.”
The 49ers return to what was expected to be among the league’s elite teams. San Francisco will look to build on this impressive streak when they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.
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