Jacksonville at San Francisco

The 49ers trailed the Packers last week on the road by 20 points with 11 minutes left in the game. It would have been easy to mail it in, but this team didn't. They got to within six with a chance to win before falling short. That tells me they haven't quit. The Jags are suddenly a "good" team after three straight wins have put them in the wildcard picture at 6-4. But what really to make of the Jags. This team was 3-4 to start the season. The three recent wins came against Kansas City who was 1-6 at the time, a 2-point win over a Jets team that is 1-6 in their last seven, and a come-from-behind 3-point win vs. a Buffalo team that is 2-6 in their last eight. So do we really think the Jags have turned the corner? Their last win before these three was an OT win at home vs. what was a winless St. Louis team. The quality of the Jags’ last four wins shows teams that were 4-23 in recent play. So while it appears the Jags are surging, they are really a mediocre team that has taken advantage of being just a notch above the poor teams they have played. That has positioned them as even against the San Francisco (allowing for the three-point home field advantage). I disagree with that assessment as I believe the Niners are the better team, in need of a win. While Jacksonville has benefited from a soft schedule, the Niners have faced a really tough one. They are 1-5 in their last six games (and 2-6 in their last eight) but look who the losses came to: Minnesota, Houston, Indianapolis, Tennessee (the resurrgent version) and Green Bay. Four of those five losses were on the road vs. good teams. When playing mediocre competition (as they are here), San Francisco has performed very well. Versus Arizona, Seattle, St. Louis and Chicago, the Niners are 4-0, winning on average by a score of 22-8. This is a huge game for the Niners at 4-6. A loss and their season is over. I look for them to rise and play with passion, and deliver their "A" game, which is simply better than the Jags right now.