As the San Francisco 49ers get ready to host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Head Coach Kyle Shanahan knows his team is in for a battle. While many believe the 49ers will win this game without too much trouble, Shanahan understands that the Jaguars are a better team than most realize. Jacksonville is 2-1, with its only loss coming in a close game against the Bengals in Cincinnati.
Shanahan sat down with Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area late in the week for 49ers Game Plan to discuss Sunday's matchup. Asked about the importance of this game, Shanahan suggested the team won't overlook their AFC South opponent. The 49ers play the Los Angeles Rams next Thursday, so the game against Jacksonville could be considered a trap game. But Shanahan isn't seeing it that way.
"It's so cliche for me, because I end up feeling this way every week, but I feel like this is a game we need to win," Shanahan said. "You can't lose these types of games. And I know we're going against a very good team. I know there's some situations that we need to overcome, but I've felt the same way these last three weeks. They can go either way. And we're sitting here at 3-0, but just a few misplays, a few little different things, and we could be 0-3."
The 49ers have won some tight ones in this early season. In week one, they beat the Seattle Seahawks by four. They won a close one in New Orleans by five, and last week, beat the Arizona Cardinals by one on a walk-off field goal. San Francisco's head coach expects Sunday's game to be no different.
"And I know this game is going to be the exact same," Shanahan added. "This team is a very good team. I think they have a lot of confidence; them beating Houston the way that they did. I know there's a lot of people on their team who know what happened when we played them last. So we're not going to catch them off guard."
The last time the 49ers played the Jaguars (2023), Jacksonville was on a roll, sitting at 6-3 and hosting the 49ers. San Francisco led by 10 at the half, but blew things open in the second half, pulling away for a 34-3 win. The 49ers went on to make it to the Super Bowl that season. Meanwhile, the Jaguars fell apart and had another disappointing season.
But Shanahan knows these are different teams, and Jacksonville is motivated to prove they're better.
"They're going to come in here hungry, ready to prove themselves," Shanahan said. "And we're ready for the challenge. We're ready to prove ourselves. We're ready to do it every week. And I see this as one that we need to get."
The 49ers are playing through a lot of injuries and are coming off losing star edge rusher Nick Bosa. They should get QB Brock Purdy and WR Demarcus Robinson back, but will now face a former teammate, Arik Armstead, who now plays for Jacksonville.
Watch the full interview below: