The 49ers desperately need a win, and it won't come easy on the road against a surging Jaguars team.
At 5-3 and losers of three games in a row, the San Francisco 49ers are at a crossroads.
Coming off a bye in Week 9, and ahead of their Week 10 road matchup against the 6-2 Jacksonville Jaguars, the Niners can either climb right back into the hunt for the top seed in the NFC or fall dangerously closer to the .500 mark, which could cost them not just one of those top seeds but also potentially the NFC West crown.
And the only thing worse than a three-game losing streak is a four-game losing streak.
San Francisco has played some bad ball as of late, yes. Head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense has scored less than 20 points per game in those three losses, while coordinator Steve Wilks' defense has gone from an elite shutdown group to one that looks like a bottom-five unit despite having a plethora of elite playmakers.
Assigning blame is one thing, but finding the fixes is another. It'll also be difficult for the 49ers, too, as they have to travel east for the equivalent of a 10 a.m. PT kickoff against a Jags team that is also coming off a bye week.
Still, if the Niners do these four things well and correctly, they'll win on Sunday.
No. 4: 49ers must win on kickoffs, special teams
It doesn't seem as if it's been a strength for San Francisco this season, but opponents are averaging offensive drives starting on their own 25.4-yard line.
Inconsequential? Certainly not. That's best in the NFL right now, and it forces those same opposing offenses to march fuller lengths of the field to score. Paired with the 49ers defense having its own issues, this is one way to take pressure off Wilks' unit.
Teams having to travel long distances can be sloppy in all three phases of the game, yet limiting the Jags' return game this Sunday is a doable task that can create a positive ripple effect into the other two phases for the Niners.
No. 3: 49ers can't abandon run game vs. Jaguars
Unfortunately, Kyle Shanahan's offense isn't looking like one that can play catch-up, and when San Francisco has had to be one-dimensional after abandoning the run, things haven't been pretty.
That's precisely what Jacksonville will want to happen on Sunday.
The Jaguars are excellent at defending against the run, holding opponents to an average of 3.6 yards per carry, which ranks fourth best in the NFL entering Week 10. And while the 49ers hope to counter with All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, the 2023 MVP candidate hasn't exactly been putting up gaudy numbers as of late outside of continuing his touchdown-scoring streak.
Over the last four weeks, McCaffrey has averaged just 48.3 rush yards per game.
Getting left tackle Trent Williams back from an ankle injury should help, yes, but McCaffrey has to be an X-factor, too, even if his efforts aren't paying off handsomely early in the game.
No. 2: Nick Bosa, Chase Young must deliver a 4-sack game
One of the best ways for the Niners defense to get back on track will be for its two most prolific pass-rushers, Nick Bosa and the newly acquired Chase Young, to have a massive impact on Sunday against Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Young, who was picked up at the NFL trade deadline from the Washington Commanders, becomes San Francisco's de facto sack leader with five, while Bosa has somewhat underwhelmed in this department with only three to date.
However, with the defensive line not quite at it's formidable levels, getting both Bosa and Young red hot versus Lawrence will be key.
Granted, Lawrence has taken four-plus sacks in a game twice this season (Weeks 2 and 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, respectively), and the Jags went 1-1 in those contests.
That said, sacking Lawrence four times will relieve a great deal of pressure off of an otherwise embattled 49ers defense.
No. 1: No turnovers from Brock Purdy
While there were plenty of reasons behind the Niners' three-game losing streak, a massive one was the turnover problem.
And quarterback Brock Purdy is guilty of a lot of those, five interceptions in that span, if we're being precise.
Not known for turning the ball over despite his "gunslinging" and aggressive nature before the three-game skid, Purdy acknowledged he needed to be more careful with the ball in certain situations while also admitting the bye week did him plenty of good to refresh and refocus.
He'll need all of that.
Entering Week 10, Jacksonville leads the league with 18 defensive takeaways and is tied for the lead in most interceptions with 11.
If Purdy ever needed to protect the ball entirely, Week 10 is that time.
The 49ers and Jaguars kick off on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. ET.