The San Francisco 49ers (3-0) head into their Week 4 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1) with a sense of relief and urgency all at once.
There’s relief because QB1 Brock Purdy is back under center after missing two games, and there’s some urgency because they’re suddenly trying to redefine their pass rush without Nick Bosa.
The injury report has been full of Purdy’s top playmakers this week, so San Francisco enters this one more than a tad banged up. Wide receivers Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (ankle) along with guard Connor Colby (groin) were monitored all week. On the other side, Jacksonville has its own concerns, most notably with wideout Dyami Brown’s shoulder.
Here’s a look at the complete list of inactives for the Niners Week 4:
RB Jordan James
WR Jordan Watkins
LB Nick Martin
DL C.J. West
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
CB Renardo Green
Brock Purdy’s Return Should Give 49ers a Boost Week 4
GettyBrock Purdy returns to action against the Jacksonville Jaguars Week 4.
Purdy’s return gives Kyle Shanahan his full playbook again, which should be a very good thing for San Francisco. That doesn’t mean this game will be a walk in the park for the 49ers, though.
“It doesn’t matter how, but at the end of the day, they’ve both offensively and defensively have come together and they’ve won games,” Purdy said about the Jags. “So I really respect them for that. And obviously good front, really good front, really good linebackers. Their secondary, they’ve got talent, so it’s going to be a really good challenge for us and I’m excited for it.”
Pearsall’s presence should give San Francisco its full route tree on third down — a huge deal against a Jacksonville secondary that plays long and physical with Tyson Campbell and company.
What Will 49ers Pass Rush Look Like Without Nick Bosa?
Losing Bosa is no small thing. Bryce Huff figures to get more snaps, and rookie Mykel Williams will be leaned on more. The 49ers also have Yetur Gross-Matos, who is likely to help set edges on early downs.
Without Bosa, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s blitz packages and disguises will be more critical than ever now that there’s no singular force to win one-on-ones.
The 49ers will also have to find ways to affect Jags QB Trevor Lawrence without blitzing themselves into trouble. Jacksonville’s offense, now under new head coach Liam Coen, uses pre-snap motion and condensed sets to create easy reads. The 49ers will need to mix coverages and generate enough pressure from Huff, Williams and their interior rotation to keep Lawrence from carving them up on timing routes.
Robert Saleh May Have Ruffled Some Feathers in Jacksonville This Week
Saleh made a few headlines this week when he suggested Coen and company had a knack for stealing opposing teams’ signals. Legally, of course.
“Jacksonville, this is a very young but talented group. Liam and his staff, a couple of guys coming from Minnesota, they’ve got legally, a really advanced signal stealing type system where they always find a way to put themselves in an advantageous situation,” Saleh said on Spetember 25, adding:
“They do a great job with it. … They’re almost elite in that regard.”
For his part, Coen made it clear he wouldn’t be responding to Saleh’s comments — at least not right now.
San Francisco has historically dominated against the Jags, winning 5-of-7 all time and blowing out Jacksonville 34–3 when they last played in 2023. This version of the Jaguars is going to be stingier on defense and more confident, however. We’ll see how the Niners handle it.
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