Jaguars vs. 49ers: Full Week 16 preview for San Francisco

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SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 17: Tight end Garrett Celek #88 of the San Francisco 49ers scores a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium on December 17, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /

Offensive & Defensive X-Factors for San Francisco

Protect Garoppolo at all costs

All season long, interior offensive line play has been an issue for the 49ers. A combination of Laken Tomlinson, Daniel Kilgore, Brandon Fusco and Zane Beadles has not fared well for the most part.

With Beadles now inserted at right tackle to replace Trent Brown, which is a position switch that produces unfavorable results, the unit has been significantly weakened. Brown is an anchor on the right side of the line, truly a top player at the position. Beadles is not that.

The Jaguars’ front-seven is no joke either.

The Jaguars pass rush is scary good:
9.2% sack rate leads NFL
38% pressure rate ranks 5th
while only blitzing 18% of the time (third lowest rate) #49ers
— Jeff Deeney (@PFF_Jeff) December 19, 2017

Defensive lineman Calais Campbell is having a monster season — his 14.5 sacks ranks second in the NFL. And considering that Jacksonville’s edge defenders have recorded 179 total pressures so far this season, Beadles could be feasted upon.

Even though Garoppolo has thrived under pressure with San Francisco, he has yet to face the kind of force the Jaguars can bring. The more duress Garoppolo endures significantly lowers the team’s chances of winning.

Damage-control on Leonard Fournette

Drafted No. 4 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, Fournette has wasted no time introducing himself to the league as a feature back. Despite missing three games, Fournette has put up 923 rushing yards and scored nine total touchdowns.

With the ability of Fournette, teams facing Jacksonville now have to account for that. Eight-man boxes have become common against Fournette, a signal of respect from opposing coaches. This has factored into the advances we have seen from Bortles, as the focus is more on the backfield.

A vital component of the Jaguars’ success lies within Fournette.

As mentioned previously, the 49ers rush defense has formed itself into a viable unit. They are only allowing 3.7 yards per carry this season — Fournette averages 4.0 yards per carry. The last game Fournette played in, Week 14 against the Seattle Seahawks, he had 24 carries for 101 yards and one touchdown in a 30-24 win.