Recent pattern with passes hurts Niners

It's not the car built by Chrysler or the testosterone-injected movie about Spartans. The 300 in this story refers to the passing yardage San Francisco's defense seems to surrender on a regular basis. Five quarterbacks - Minnesota's Brett Favre (301 yards), Atlanta's Matt Ryan (329), Indianapolis' Peyton Manning (347), Chicago's Jay Cutler (307) and Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers (344) - lit up San Francisco's pass defense for huge yardage this season. If the 49ers aren't careful Sunday, Jaguars quarterback David Garrard could become No. 6 on the list. "I don't look at stats. I don't look at underdogs and who's got the points going into the game," Garrard said. "I just go out and play. That's all I do." Based on the performances of San Francisco's 30th-ranked pass defense, that might be all Garrard has to do - merely play - to put up big numbers against a 49ers unit focused on stopping Maurice Jones-Drew and the rushing attack. Rodgers passed for 274 yards in the first half last week in the Packers' 30-24 win over the 49ers. Quarterbacks have averaged 293.8 passing yards against the 49ers in the past six games. This after the club got off to a 3-1 start in which it allowed just one 300-yard passer (Favre). Missed tackles, misdiagnosing plays and routes and breakdowns in what 49ers coach Mike Singletary described as the "little things" seem to be the defense's main problems. Singletary said he'd like to see his secondary play faster. "More than anything else, it's just a matter of sometimes you hit that bump, and you have to fight your way out of it," Singletary said of the team's recent struggles. "We got ourselves into it, and we just have to work our way out of it." In an effort to pull the 49ers out of futility, Singletary is reportedly considering demoting cornerback Tarell Brown, who played a direct role last week in two Green Bay touchdowns. Veteran Dre' Bly, a former teammate of Jaguars receiver Torry Holt in St. Louis, will likely take Brown's place in the lineup. Bly considers receiver Mike Sims-Walker (at least 80 yards receiving in six of the past eight games) the Jaguars' most dangerous threat. "Sims-Walker seems to be the go-to guy, a guy that David Garrard feels comfortable getting the ball to. [Sims-Walker] seems to be kind of explosive," Bly said on the Niners' Web site. Added Brown: "Their young receivers are very talented, great hands. The quarterback does a great job of getting the ball out of his hands quick. The [receivers] do a great job of running after the catch." To alleviate such concerns on the back end of the defense, San Francisco's front seven wants to pressure Garrard into quick, errant throws. The 49ers have 19 sacks, 10 spots ahead of the last-ranked Jaguars . Despite San Francisco's recent struggles, Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio respects its defense. The unit ranks sixth against the run (94.7 yards per game), and if it finds a way to neutralize Jones-Drew, Jacksonville's passing game could experience trouble getting off the ground. "It's a proud, strong, physical defense," Del Rio said. "They're physical up front, and it'll be a challenge. It's a team that is hungry to stay alive, like us, [to] stay in the hunt." michael.wright@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4657 Follow him on Twitter @jagsreporter. Jaguars AT 49ers When: 4:05 p.m. Sunday. Where: Candlestick Park, San Francisco. TV/Radio: CBS; WOKV (690 AM, 106.5 FM). Records: Jaguars are 6-4; 49ers are 4-6.