JACKSONVILLE – Team reporter Kainani Stevens each week during the 2025 regular season will speak with a media member covering the Jaguars' opponent.
Up this week:
San Francisco 49ers team reporter Briana Jeannel on the Week 4 matchup against the Jaguars at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
Question: The 49ers are 3-0 and have battled through a ton of adversity already with injuries. What have you seen from the team so far?
Answer: The word for this team's play and the first three games of the season has been resilience. This team has faced a new challenge every week, and a lot of times it's not just the opponent. It also comes internally. Not having wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to start the season, quarterback Brock Purdy going down, wide receiver Jujuan Jennings going down last week, and most recently not having defensive end Nick Bosa for the rest of the season. I give a ton of credit to Head Coach Kyle Shanahan for his creative play-calling throughout these first three games of the season. I give a lot of credit to all the Next Men Up answering the calls. The team's mentality is "Whatever it takes, we're going to get it done." Fullback Kyle Juszczyk told me "Whether you win by one point or 40 points, a win is a win," and they're going to find any way to get it done.
Q: We are a little familiar here in Jacksonville with your backup quarterback, Mac Jones. He has played well the last two weeks, stepping in to start while Purdy works his way back from injury. What's the latest on your quarterback situation?
A: Jones reaggravated a left knee sprain that he had in the preseason during the game against the Arizona Cardinals last week. Meanwhile, Purdy is dealing with a toe injury and an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. Purdy was limited in practice last week, but we did see him move around and make some throws. If the quarterback situation was unclear last week, it's even more unclear as we head into this week.
Q: You mentioned Bosa suffering a knee injury and is out for the year. He's a leader on that defense, but it's next man up. How does the defense respond without him?
A: Shanahan said it best, there's simply no replacing Nick Bosa. The entire D-line will have to step up moving forward. It's going to take a collective effort to help fill that void left by the All-Pro. Rookie first round pick Mykel Williams, Bryce Huff, Yetur Gross-Matos and Sam Okuayinonu are among the defensive linemen that are expected to help step in and fill the void.
Q: Looking at this matchup, who are some X-factors for you, some players to watch in this game against the Jags?
A: Absolutely running back Christian McCaffrey. He's always a dual threat and he's proven that. Last week, 52 yards on the ground, 88 through the air. He's being used as a slot receiver with a lot of our wide receivers injured right now. On defense, I'd have to point to that rookie Mykel Williams. With Bosa out, the defense will be relying on him a ton to rush the passer. He was extremely impressive in training camp with his size, strength, and speed. He's only been getting better each and every week. So, with a lot more on his plate against the Jaguars, I'm excited to see how he'll answer the call on Sunday.
