The 49ers suffer their first loss of the season at home against the Jaguars. Four turnovers are the story of the game. Three of the turnovers were forced by Jacksonville. The other turnover was the product of an unforced error by Brock Purdy.
The Niners first drive netted points and the defense responded by forcing a punt. The next drive started out promising. Unfortunately, after Luke Farrell caught and ran for a first down, he allowed the ball to be punched out as he was going down. On the next play, Jacksonville capitalized when Trevor Eitenne ripped off a 48-yard touchdown run.
The next turnover occurred when Christian McCaffrey tipped the ball into the air instead of catching it. A defender came down with it and once again the Jaguars capitalized with another touchdown.
The 49ers spent the whole game playing catch up. Not only did they allow turnovers to occur, but the special teams gave up significant field position and a touchdown. Late in the game, they gave up a 54-yard run back putting the Jaguars in position to kick a half ending field goal. In the 2nd half, the Jaguars ran a punt return back for a touchdown.
The Niners third turnover occurred early in the third quarter when Purdy threw into the teeth of the Jacksonville zone. The direction he threw the ball was layered with three defenders. That interception was his fault. Thankfully the defense held and forced Jacksonville to punt.
After battling back to within five points, the game ended much as it started. The Niners had great field position. They completed a nice first down pass to Christian McCaffrey. Then, as Purdy drops back, Arik Armstead reaches his long arms out and knocks the ball out of Purdy’s hands and a Jacksonville defender jumps on it. Game over.
This was a sloppy game by the 49ers. Purdy threw several high balls. Kendrick Bourne dropped three on target passes. McCaffrey also dropped two on target passes. The offensive line struggled to build any holes, in large part because Arik Armstead requires at least two blockers a down. Niners fans forget his value, but the Jaguars are realizing it. Armstead’s ability to gobble up blockers allows the Jaguar linebackers to run free. They consistently shot gaps and stuffed the Niners run game.
The defense struggled through the first half. The defensive line seemed to run the wrong defensive line rotation every down. The linebackers were late to fill holes and were consistently out of position as Eitenne cut them up for over 124 yards rushing. Finally, Darrell Luter Jr. was picked on heavily. The defensive back field struggled to compensate for the loss of Renaldo Green, creating untimely gaps in the coverage. The defense appeared unprepared for the Jaguars this week. However, in the second half the Niners defense woke up only allowing nine points in the third quarter.
Still, the 49ers defense was snake bit by key penalties. One penalty is extremely questionable. Upton Stout tightly covered Travis Hunter on a third and long in the second half. Stout undercut the route and snagged an interception. Yet, he was called for pass interference. What little the Fox crew showed us draws extreme skepticism on the veracity of the call. Had the interception stood, the Niners would have had the ball in scoring position
The Niners also lost Ricky Pearsall in the second half. His playmaking ability and presence makes everyone else’s job a bit easier. When he went down, the passing windows tightened up even further.
The Niners have had a lot to clean up. They could have won this game. They gave it away with undisciplined ball handling and poor special teams play. Hopefully they will rectify those issues before Thursday’s tilt with the Rams.
