JACKSONVILLE – Call this one a tough task with a bit of a historical twist.

The Jaguars on Sunday will visit the San Francisco 49ers in what by any measure is a tough early-season matchup. The reasons it is tough are many.

The Jaguars never have won on the road against the 49ers, and they have won in California just four times in 31 seasons. That's the historical stuff.

Far more significantly, these 49ers – while dealing with a slew of injuries – are very good. That has been their norm in recent seasons under one of the NFL's best and most-innovative head coaches, Kyle Shanahan. They're 3-0, contending again in an NFC West that ranks among the NFL's toughest divisions.

They run consistently, play sound defense and hold up well in close games. They have one of the NFL's best and most

See Full Page