49ers vs. Jaguars: Biggest studs (and duds) from Week 11 win

The 49ers dominated the Jaguars in Week 11 and generated a lot of studs in the process, but there are still a few duds from the game, too.

The San Francisco 49ers have their second win streak of the season and have proven they can beat an elite-level team, the Los Angeles Rams, but not fall victim to the “trap game” aftereffect, which could have been the case if the Niners fell on the road to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars.

Alas, San Francisco didn’t.

The 49ers pulled off an impressive 30-10 victory on the road in Week 11, dominating the Jags in every facet and on all three phases of the game. A short week with cross-country travel didn’t impact the Niners, who controlled both the ball and the clock, nearly doubling the time of possession and finishing with a plus-2 mark in the turnover-differential department.

Wins like these generate plenty of studs from the game, and San Francisco has quite a few of them.

But there have to be some duds mixed in, too.

Stud: 49ers Wide Receiver Deebo Samuel

Usually, getting just one catch for 15 yards wouldn’t classify a player in the “stud” department.

That’s not the reason wide receiver Deebo Samuel is listed here, however.

Samuel, who had just the one catch, was nevertheless a major offensive factor, only on the ground, rushing a team-high 79 yards on eight carries and averaging 9.9 yards per rush. Including a 25-yard rushing touchdown that put the 49ers up 10-0 early in the second quarter.

True, Samuel might see a slight dip on the No. 2 overall receiver list because of his 15 yards receiving, but there’s no getting around just how much of an offensive impact he has.

No matter where he lines up. And judging by how head coach Kyle Shanahan is using Samuel, it could literally be anywhere.

Dud: 49ers Running Back Trey Sermon

On one hand, it was great to see rookie running back Trey Sermon get some touches after being essentially a non-factor the past few weeks, the Week 11 opportunity opened up because of injuries to fellow running backs Elijah Mitchell and JaMycal Hasty.

Sure, veteran running back Jeff Wilson Jr. got the start and the bulk of the rushing carries, but Sermon at least could have made the most of his chances.

Even if Jacksonville entered the game with a quality run defense, allowing an average of only 3.9 yards per attempt.

Sermon was OK, not great in the game, rushing 10 times for only 32 yards and lacking the decisiveness and explosiveness that separates him from Mitchell.

Once Mitchell returns, is his starting job from that point onward. And Sermon didn’t exactly solidify himself as a top-end-of-the-depth chart option with his efforts.

Stud: 49ers Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk

It’s so great when both of the Niners’ starting wide receivers are playing well.

With Deebo Samuel not getting too many looks against the Jaguars’ man-coverage defense, fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk figured to get an uptick in the action, which is precisely what happened

Aiyuk took advantage of the extra attention the Jags gave to Samuel and tight end George Kittle by hauling in a team-best seven catches for 85 yards and this touchdown:

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1462494513482506243

Aiyuk might have been in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s proverbial doghouse earlier this season, but any notions of that still being the case are long gone now. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is regularly targeting Aiyuk, and Aiyuk is answering with contributions.

A great sign for San Francisco moving forward.

Dud: 49ers Cornerback Ambry Thomas

Kyle Shanahan did right up big late in the game and elected to toss in some of his rookies, including quarterback Trey Lance and third-round rookie cornerback Ambry Thomas.

Thomas and fellow rookie corner Deommodore Lenoir both got in the game late following a minor injury to fellow defensive back Emmanuel Moseley, and the Jaguars did what they could to target Thomas as much as possible.

The end results weren’t particularly great in the fourth quarter, as Thomas was beat by Jags wide receiver Marvin Jones for 8 yards, then just a few plays later, Jones beat Thomas again for another 9 yards.

Jacksonville subsequently ended up in the end zone that drive for its only touchdown of the day.

Thomas, who opted out of his 2020 collegiate campaign because of the pandemic, needs reps and needs them badly.

Good thing his not-so-hot efforts in Week 11 came in garbage time.

Stud: 49ers EDGE Nick Bosa

Perhaps the 49ers are finally getting something of a complementary pass-rush, as reserve EDGE Arden Key notched his third sack of the year, his most in the NFL.

But another Niners player set a single-season best, too, EDGE Nick Bosa.

Bosa entered the game with eight sacks, just one shy of his 2019 rookie-year mark of nine. And despite the Jaguars’ best efforts to chip and double him in the pass rush, Bosa was still able to get home twice on quarterback Trevor Lawrence to increase his season sack total to a team-high 10.

Bosa finished the game with three total tackles, those two sacks for a loss, and also had three quarterback hits.

While San Francisco would still prefer to get additional production from its other pass-rushers on a more consistent basis, the fact Bosa is dominating without much help elsewhere is great news for the defense moving forward.

Dud: Jaguars Safety Rayshawn Jenkins

Yes, it’s hard to find a lot of 49ers duds, but there are still plenty from Jacksonville’s side.

Perhaps none, however, bigger than safety Rayshawn Jenkins, who finds himself on this list for more than just the single reason everyone would naturally think.

Sure, Jenkins was ejected for throwing a punch in a scuffle with Niners wide receiver Jauan Jennings, but that hit changed what would have been a fourth-down play pending for San Francisco into a fresh set of downs.

Not smart.

Even worse, on a previous play when the Jaguars sacked Jimmy Garoppolo, Jenkins was flagged for defensive holding on a third-down play, which also gave the 49ers a first down.

Two big plays in two key situations, and Jenkins cost his team in a big way.

Not a great game from him. Or at least nearly half a game before he left.

Stud: 49ers Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo

It’s clear Kyle Shanahan is going to go with Jimmy Garoppolo either through the rest of the season, or at the very soonest, when Garoppolo begins to completely flop on a consistent basis.

Four games now, Jimmy G has been solid and has tossed just one interception over that timeframe, back during the Niners’ Week 9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, and he also managed to keep a clean game on the road against a suspect Jacksonville defense.

Garoppolo wasn’t necessarily dominant in the game, going 16-of-22 for 176 yards. And he also missed a wide-open Jeff Wilson in the end zone for what would have been an easy six points on San Francisco’s opening drive.

Other than that, though, Garoppolo was as quality as he needed to be, passing for two touchdowns and finding two of his go-to targets in Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle.

Garoppolo’s play keeps pushing Trey Lance out from even sniffing meaningful snaps, which might be a concern for the team’s long-term development for its rookie quarterback, yet it’s certainly good news for Jimmy G.

He’ll remain the starter moving forward, and there’s no sign that’ll change anytime soon.