Game Preview: Jaguars vs 49ers

Our game preview this week looks at the Jacksonville Jaguars matchup against the San Francisco 49ers

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. San Francisco 49ers

Sunday, November 29th, 4:15 EST

Candlestick Park

Kickoff Temperature: 62 degrees, sunny

Line: 49ers by 3

Trends: Jaguars have won four straight; 49ers have lost five of their last six.

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Three most important things for the Jaguars on defense:

1. Stop Frank Gore. Frank Gore is the only real constant on the 49ers offense and if he’s nullified, the Niners can’t do much through the air.

2. Don’t let Alex Smith get into a rhythm. Smith has certainly been disappointing throughout his career, but he’s a much better player now than he was when he started against the Jags as a rookie. If Smith gets into a groove early, he will be confident and is capable of making big throws.

3. Be aware of Vernon Davis in the red zone. Davis leads the team with eight touchdowns this year and he’s proving himself to be a Pro Bowl caliber tight end.

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Three most important things for the Jaguars on offense:

1. MJD. Same thing every week for the Jaguars, get Maurice Jones-Drew involved. The more touches Jones-Drew gets, the better the chances of a Jaguars victory.

2. Get off to an early start. The Jaguars have been blown out in three of their four losses and they need to get started early to take the 49ers crowd out of the game.

3. Make misdirection your friend. The 49ers defense is very aggressive, and if the Jaguars can utilize some misdirection, they can use the aggressiveness against them.

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What to look for:

1. Look for Maurice to get over 100. You can’t keep Jones-Drew down, especially when he returns home. Look for the Jaguars MVP to have another big day.

2. Look for a nice day by Michael Crabtree. Crabtree is beginning to really emerge as the Niners #1 receiver and he should have a nice day against a Jags secondary which is missing Rashean Mathis for the second straight week.

3. Look for a big day by the tight ends. Once considered a pair of first round busts, both Vernon Davis and Marcedes Lewis have had breakout seasons and their success should continue.

4. Look for Garrard to throw his second TD pass on the road. In five road games Garrard has just one TD pass. That’s not very good. With Nate Clements out for the 49ers, the Jags passing game should make some plays.

5. Look for the Jaguars to suffer a setback. The 49ers aren’t that good, and on paper this really looks like a game in which the Jaguars should win. Unfortunately, this young team doesn’t really travel well and we can see a Thanksgiving hangover.