49ers schedule: 3 biggest trap games for San Francisco in 2021

No. 1: Week 11 — 49ers @ Jaguars

On paper, the 49ers should be able to throttle the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are coming off a one-win 2020 campaign, hired head coach Urban Meyer and former Niners general manager Trent Baalke, are undergoing a complete rebuild from top to bottom and selected Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence No. 1 overall in this year’s NFL Draft.

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Yet the massive travel distance between the Bay Area and Jacksonville opens up challenges of its own, and the 10 a.m. PT start for San Francisco can’t be overlooked.

Plus, by that point, Lawrence will likely have nine starts under his belt and has somewhat acclimated to the rigors of going up against NFL-level defenses. This isn’t to say Lawrence will wow to the point of being able to carry the otherwise-hapless Jags on his shoulders by then. But there’s a reason why he’s being viewed as the next surefire top-drafted quarterbacking star.

The 49ers have back-to-back home games against NFC West teams — the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams — the previous two weeks before traveling to Jacksonville. Those are the bouts the Niners will be focused on, for sure, as the NFC West is easily the toughest division within football entering 2021.

As far as letdown games go, especially combined with the lengthy travel, this Week 11 game could prove to be much more challenging than it needs to be.

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