3 Takeaways from 49ers' Week 11 Win

Don't look now, but the San Francisco 49ers might be getting back in the postseason race. After a four-game losing streak dropped the team to 2-4, it felt like the playoffs were a pipe dream. However, the Niners have won three of the last four and have pulled back to .500 with seven games remaining on the schedule.

Sunday's victory over the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars wasn't as impressive as last week's blowout of the Los Angeles Rams. However, wins are wins, and it's worth noting that the Jags have played a tough brand of football in recent weeks. They lost by six to the Indianapolis Colts last week and upset the Buffalo Bills the previous week.

Winning isn't easy in the NFL, regardless of the opponent—just ask the Tennessee Titans. The 49ers have strung together back-to-back wins for only the second time this season and have found a little momentum heading into next week's clash with the Minnesota Vikings.

Here are our three big takeaways from San Francisco's 30-10 win in Week 11.

Deebo Samuel Is Special as a Runner Too

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

One might have expected this to be a Jimmy Garoppolo-centric game, as leading rusher Elijah Mitchell was out with a finger injury. Garoppolo was good—he finished 16-of-22 for 176 yards and two touchdowns—but the 49ers largely dominated Jacksonville on the ground.

San Francisco racked up 171 rushing yards, averaged 4.1 yards per carry as a team, racked up 13 first downs rushing and held the ball for more than 38 minutes.

To the chagrin of many a fantasy manager, it wasn't Jeff Wilson Jr. who led the way for San Francisco. Instead, head coach Kyle Shanahan allowed budding star receiver Deebo Samuel to shine in the backfield.

Wilson did lead the team with 19 carries, but he averaged just 2.6 yards per tote. Samuel regularly lined up in the backfield, rushing eight times for 79 yards and a touchdown. It marked the second straight week in which Samuel carried five or more times and scored a rushing touchdown—and we're likely to see more of it moving forward.

Samuel is proving to be a special receiver this season—he already has 994 receiving yards and five touchdowns—but he's pretty darn good as a ball-carrier too.

Samuel had just one reception for 15 yards on Sunday, yet, he was still a player for which Jacksonville had no answer.

Nick Bosa Could Enter the DPOY Conversation

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Pass-rusher Nick Bosa won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2019 but missed the bulk of 2020 with a torn ACL. While he's been a constant contributor since returning from injury in Week 1, Bosa is now returning to award-winning form.

Bosa logged another two sacks and two tackles for a loss Sunday, and he was regularly in the Jaguars backfield. He's had three sacks over the past two weeks and should be entering the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year.

On the season, Bosa has 10 sacks, 32 quarterback pressures—according to Pro Football Reference—two forced fumbles and a league-high 15 tackles for loss. Getting fully healthy has played a role in Bosa's surge, but experience has also been a factor.

"I think I'm starting to get the hang of just how to really get sacks, get numbers," Bosa said, per Kirk Larrabee of 49ers Webzone. "My rookie year I was just out there rushing, trying to win every time. It worked well, but now I'm really getting the hang of how the sack leaders in the league do it."

Bosa is now tied for fifth in sacks, only three behind league leader Myles Garrett. He has seven games in which to increase his total, and if he helps spark a postseason push, Bosa might just swoop in and claim the NFL's biggest defensive award.

Next Week's Game Is Going to Be Huge

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A few short weeks ago, the Week 12 matchup between San Francisco and Minnesota appeared to be anything but a must-watch contest. Both teams were sitting at 3-4 in Week 8 and neither looked really relevant in the playoff race.

Fast forward to today, and both teams are sitting at .500 and are jockeying for playoff positioning. If the season ended today, Minnesota would be the NFC's sixth seed, while San Francisco would be on the outside looking in—the New Orleans Saints, the seventh seed, are also 5-5 but have lost two in a row and could fall out of the mix.

Next week's game is now a big one for the 49ers as it relates to the wild-card chase. If they can knock off the Vikings at home, they should be able to control their playoff destiny over the final six weeks of the season.

This is a testament to just how much the last two weeks have meant for San Francisco. Beating the Rams was a huge confidence-builder, and avoiding a letdown in Jacksonville was nearly as important. Playoff teams beat the opponents they are supposed to beat, and San Francisco took care of business Sunday.

It was a dominant all-around performance for the 49ers and one that should lead to a playoff atmosphere next week when the Vikings visit Levi's Stadium.