In January 2013, when San Francisco punched their ticket to Super Bowl XLVII, Joshua Jackson and then-partner Diane Kruger chalked it up by riding on a Niners high in a Vancouver pub. The Karate Kid actor even dubbed himself the ‘#happiestnewlyunemployedguyever’. His love for the team wasn’t something new. It probably cropped up when he lived on Lyon Street in San Francisco in the mid-’80s. But being a die-hard fan for years also comes with its own set of heartbreaks. 

For the San Francisco 49ers, 2024 turned out to be a season full of excuses, injuries, and subpar performances. Who can forget their second half runs (or lack thereof?). Whether it was the fact that their opponents outscored them 165 to 88 in the fourth quarters, their offense was off by 2 points from the first to the second half, and that their defense surrendered more TDs per game in the second half than the first, the Niners flubbed the 2024-25 season big time. 

But when the blame fell, most of the heat was on their Mr. Irrelevant-turned-QB1, Brock Purdy. Although he was in contention for the NFL MVP title through his sophomore season, his numbers took a nosedive last year. Words of assurance soon took over the tape when he admitted to “get back to playing with the chip on my shoulder like it was my first two years of every game, every down trying to prove to myself that I’m the guy for this team.” However, for the Niners faithful, Jackson, the ghost of blown leads last season had a very specific name: the defense.

Sitting down with Rich Eisen, the ‘Karate Kid: Legends’ star first predicted San Francisco’s record for the upcoming season to be 11-6. And without missing a beat, he cut straight to the previous season’s struggles. “That’s a big rebound year. But you know, last season, it was the defense. Everybody put all that on Brock Purdy, but it was the defense. We couldn’t hold leads. I know we had a huge amount of turnover on the defense, but we actually needed to do that.”

Eisen countered, pointing to key offensive absences: “Hey, man—no McCaffrey, no Brandon Aiyuk, no—it’s Trent Williams at times.” But Jackson shifted focus squarely back to the defensive lapses and the perceived manageable path ahead: “That is not a platinum schedule we have to work our way through,” Jackson ended. And he isn’t totally wrong though.

The 49ers were just awful on third downs (24th in the NFL) and inside the red zone (31st) defensively. They also allowed TDs 68.4% of the time inside their own 20-yard line. The 49ers’ defense ranked 19th in tackling efficiency. After their bye week, the defense recorded only two takeaways. The narrative scapegoating Purdy ignored the defense’s repeated failures to seal the deal. And that was a glaring issue highlighted by the 18 double-digit leads blown under Shanahan—the ‘most’ in 49ers history.

Meanwhile Purdy was slinging it (10th best 3,864 yards for 20 TDs and 12 interceptions with a 7th best 67.9 QB rating last season. This was after his 4,280 yards and 31 TDs with a 119.0 rating in 2023, fifth-best ever in a season. But the defense often vanished. However, this season, the Niners have taken the 2022 LA Rams route, swiping out veteran faces in the team for the new ones, which has David Lombardi of The San Francisco Standard worried as he mentioned back in March:

“Just reading between the lines right now, the 49ers are willing to draft this defense. There are going to be a lot of young players, especially on the defensive line. That is a position of man strength. That is, I think, an admission that the defense is not going to be at its peak, at least early in the 2025 season. That in itself is gonna break a lot of brains.”

Now, they are running on their three rookies in: 11th pick DE Mykel Williams and second and fourth rounders Alfred Collins and CJ West, respectively. To tie the end here is edge rusher Bryce Huff that the team traded for a few days ago. As for Jackson, it’s not some bandwagon take.

Joshua Jackson’s Niners connection 

As a child, Joshua lived in San Francisco and grew up to be a Niners fan. In fact, as the then-28-year-old auditioned for the role of Wade Buckley, a young campaign worker for Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in the movie “Bobby,” Jackson said a very interesting thing to the interviewers that they probably never saw coming. By the end of the conversation, Jackson was asked to add anything he wanted that hadn’t already been covered. To wrap up, the actor known for his role as Pacey in Dawson’s Creek simply sighed, smiled, and said, “I’m really happy that the 49ers won.”

His Niners fandom is legit running deep, even visible as ‘Fringe’ wrapped up and he celebrated their Super Bowl entry in 2013. That long-term perspective fuels his analysis. He, indeed, sees Purdy’s ascent from ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ to franchise QB (now locked down with a $265 million extension) for what it is: remarkable. 

The stats scream elite—9,518 career yards, 64 TDs, a 104.9 passer rating in just 40 games. Jackson understands that expecting Purdy to single-handedly overcome defensive collapses is like expecting a rookie QB in franchise mode to win the Super Bowl with a 60-rated offensive line—unrealistic and unfair.

Indeed, just as Victor Lipani used his past as a heavyweight boxer (a role Jackson physically transformed for, packing on 20 pounds) to guide Li Fong through adversity in ‘Karate Kid: Legends,’ Jackson sees the solution for the Niners lying in strong guidance and correction. His pointed critique of the defense is a call to action. Moreover, the return of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, known for his aggressive schemes, signals Shanahan recognizes the need for change.

Jackson’s faith in an 11–6 rebound season hinges on that defense rediscovering its backbone, finally supporting their ascendant QB. For Jackson, a true faithful, it’s not about tearing down Purdy. It’s about building up the entire team around him, ensuring those fourth-quarter leads become victories, not haunting memories. The journey from underdog to champion, whether for Li Fong in New York or the Niners in Santa Clara, demands resilience, smart adjustments, and unwavering belief. Jackson’s got the belief. Now, the defense needs to deliver.