Jaguars vs 49ers Week 4 Review

The Jaguars defeated the 49ers 26-21 in a statement win. The 1st quarter began with an opening drive field goal from the 49ers that saw a large usage out of running back Christian McCaffrey. San Francisco's offense was able to move the ball with relative ease before hitting the red zone. Once the ball was inside the 20, the Jaguars defense stood tall and held the 49ers to a field goal.

The Jaguars first offensive possession took nearly 7 minutes but resulted in a punt. To begin the 2nd quarter, linebacker Dennis Gardeck forced a fumble from tight end Luke Farrell to set the Jaguars up at the 48-yard line. The very next play, running back Travis Etienne took the ball 48 yards for a touchdown to put the Jaguars up 7-3.

On the next drive for the 49ers, they turned the ball over once again, this time deep in Jacksonville territory. Brock Purdy overthrew the pass for Christian McCaffrey, causing it to tip off his hands and land in Devin Lloyd's. The Jaguars offense took advantage of this, scoring on a 13-play, 89-yard touchdown drive to take a 14-3 lead. This drive took just over 8 minutes and was a glimpse into the potential the offense could play at when at its best.

The 49ers had the ball with 2:28 to go in the first half. In just 1:22, they managed to get all the way down to the Jaguars 7-yard line before having to settle for a field goal. With just 40 seconds left, it was likely the offense would take a knee and go into halftime, but rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten returned the kickoff 54 yards, setting the Jaguars up at the 49ers 47-yard line. The offense would get down to the 8-yard line and would also settle for a field goal, going into halftime with a 17-6 lead.

The Jaguars would get the ball to start the second half and would go 3-and-out. San Francisco responded with an 8-play 73-yard touchdown drive, capped off by Christian McCaffrey. They opted to go for two, converting on a pass to Jauan Jennings. Jacksonville's offense would have to punt once again, giving the 49ers a chance to take the lead. With all the momentum swinging back to San Francisco, Devin Lloyd would completely erase it, intercepting Brock Purdy on the first play of the drive, giving the offense the ball at the 49ers 28-yard line.

The offense would once again go 3-and-out but still managed to get a field goal off the turnover to go up 20-14. The 49ers would quickly go 3-and-out, having to punt once again. Parker Washington caught the punt at his own 13-yard line and managed to take it all the way for an 87-yard touchdown, pushing the lead to 26-14 after a failed two-point conversion.

The next drive for the 49ers offense was more of the same, going 7 plays for just 39 yards and a turnover on downs. The Jaguars would not take advantage of this, however, going 3-and-out. Brock Purdy and the offense responded with an 8-play 92-yard touchdown drive, making the score 26-21. Off a penalty from the kickoff, Trevor Lawrence began the drive at their own 44-yard line. They managed to get the ball down to the 49ers 29-yard line before settling for a field goal. Cam Little missed the kick, giving the 49ers possession at the Jaguars 37-yard line with 3:32 left in the game.

On just the second play of the drive, Arik Armstead stripped Brock Purdy to get the ball right back. This was the defense's 4th turnover of the day and the most important, as the 49ers had the ball at midfield with plenty of time to score. Trevor Lawrence converted on third down with a pass to Hunter Long which ended the game, giving the Jaguars a statement win on the road.

The good

The running game was excellent once again. Travis Etienne got the bulk of the workload, going for 124 yards on 19 carries, with his best play coming on a 50-yard touchdown run early in the game. The passing attack, while not prolific, was a step in the right direction. There were zero recorded drops in the game, and the ball was being spread out.

Through 3 games, the offensive line was seen as one of the best units in football, allowing just 3 sacks all season. That continued in this game, not allowing a single sack and gave Trevor Lawrence a clean pocket throughout the day. Because of this, Trevor Lawrence managed to play his first turnover-free game of the season.

Once again the defense was the star of the show. Any time it appeared the 49ers were gaining momentum, the defense managed to steal it right back with a timely turnover. Devin Lloyd has been outstanding through three games and may have had the best game of his career on Sunday. Lloyd recorded two pass deflections, 8 total tackles, a tackle for loss, and 2 interceptions. The run defense was also excellent, allowing just 83 yards on 24 carries, which forced the 49ers offense to become one-dimensional and predictable.

The bad

Penalties were once again a huge issue, racking up 12 for 90 yards. As good as the team has looked through 4 weeks, the penalties have been by far the team's biggest hindrance in them being a truly dominant force. Third downs were a problem, going 4-14 on offense and allowing the 49ers to convert 8-13 on offense. Through two games the offense was excellent on third downs but has quickly come back to earth the past two weeks.

The offense as a whole still has not played a complete game. In the 2nd quarter, the offense scored 17 points, had 183 yards and 9 first downs. In the other 3 quarters, the offense scored just 3 points with 142 yards and 12 first downs. The inconsistency was particularly evident with Trevor Lawrence. In the second quarter Lawrence went 13/16 for 112 yards and a touchdown, but was just 8/15 for 62 yards outside of it. The offense has flashed greatness at times but has failed to consistently put it all together, and it starts with the quarterback.

While the pass defense did manage to get 2 interceptions, they also struggled at different points in the game. Brock Purdy had 309 passing yards off just 22 completions. This was a bit concerning given the receivers the Jaguars were facing coming into the game and became more depleted when Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall both exited the game in the 3rd quarter. Christian McCaffrey was the team's leading receiver in this game and has been all season. Despite the 49ers offense being so heavily relied on by one player, it still gave the defense problems.

Conclusion

This was a huge win for the Jaguars and now ties them with the Colts for first place in the division at 3-1. With how dominant the defense has been, if the offense can put it all together, this team could be a true threat. The Chiefs will come down to Jacksonville for a Monday night showdown that will be another step up in weight class and will test how good this team really is.

A win for the Jaguars would put them at 4-1 for the first time since 2007, quickly swaying the public opinion of them with a game on such a large stage. A loss would be a gut punch with the team's schedule through the rest of October. A massive opportunity is in front of them; can they put the league on notice?

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