With a three-game losing streak heading into Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers had plenty of things to be concerned about.
Their young starting quarterback Brock Purdy had been struggling, while their once-vaunted defense looked porous after giving up at least 400 yards of total offense in consecutive weeks.
But they responded with a dominant 34-3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had been riding a five-game winning streak, and while Purdy was impressive again, their defense was even more stout.
On FS1’s “Speak,” Joy Taylor was adamant that Niners defensive coordinator Steve Wilks deserves the credit for the victory.
.@JoyTaylorTalks: Steve Wilks deserves all of the credit for the 49ers’ blowout win. pic.twitter.com/AGM1GhUt7V
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) November 13, 2023
Wilks is in his first year as the team’s defensive coordinator after replacing DeMeco Ryans, who is now the Houston Texans’ head coach, and plenty of fans were pointing the finger at him after its last three losses.
He moved from the booth to the sideline for Sunday’s game, and it seemed to be the right move, as San Francisco’s vaunted pass rush returned with a vengeance.
They sacked Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence five times, and they limited him to 17 of 29 completions, 185 passing yards, and no touchdown passes.
It was the 49ers defense that allowed them to reach the NFC Championship Game three of the last four seasons, and with an improved offense, perhaps this year they will have a great shot at returning to the Super Bowl.
Purdy had thrown two interceptions in both of his last two games, but on Sunday, he completed 19 of 26 passes for nearly 300 yards, three touchdowns and zero picks, while running back Christian McCaffrey ran for 95 yards on 16 rushing attempts.
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