49ers crushed the Jaguars by 34-3

JACKSONVILLE – They began with a whimper and ended with a bang.

That was a recipe for disaster against this foe.

The Jaguars watched their quarterback Trevor Lawrence take five sacks and give up the ball three times. The defense let in touchdowns on the opening drives of both halves. Nothing worked for them and everything worked against them in a 34-3 drubbing by the San Francisco 49ers in front of 69,271 spectators at EverBank Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

“We need to confront the truth and change some things,” Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson said.

The loss stopped a league-high five-game winning streak for the Jaguars (6-3), who are on top of the AFC South. The 49ers (6-3), who lead the NFC West, ended a three-game losing streak.

“We have the ability to be an excellent team,” Jaguars linebacker Foye Oluokun said. “We should have been ready after the [bye week the previous week], but the NFL will make you pay.

“It’s how you finish the season that counts. Let’s finish it strong.”

Lawrence, the Jaguars’ third-year passer, completed 17 of 29 for 185 yards and no touchdowns. The Jaguars had four turnovers altogether, with wide receiver Christian Kirk losing the ball in the third quarter.

Lawrence described it as “one of the worst games I’ve ever had.”

“I have to cope with the agony and the humiliation of today,” Lawrence said. “I accept that and I’m responsible for that.”

Pederson said the loss was “a wake-up call.”

“Nobody enjoys coaching like that,” Pederson said. “Nobody enjoys playing like that. Nobody enjoys losing like that. We have too much pride, you know?”

The Jaguars’ three points were their lowest since a 20-0 blanking by the Tennessee Titans in Week 14 of the 2021 season and their lowest at home since a 27-3 hammering by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020 Week 11. Their four turnovers were a season-high and most since a Week 4 defeat at Philadelphia last season.

It was the Jaguars’ most one-sided home loss since a 45-15 battering by the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 14 2019 and the worst loss overall since a 50-10 annihilation by the New England Patriots at New England in Week 17 2021.

“We were terrible, all around, myself included,” Lawrence said. “That’s the fact. We’re going to watch the tape tomorrow and relive it, which is going to be horrible, and then we’re going to move on.”

San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy connected with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk for a touchdown on the 49ers’ first drive of the game for an early lead, and Purdy’s deep touchdown pass to tight end George Kittle began the third quarter with a seventeen-point San Francisco lead.

The 49ers were ahead 10-0 after two drives, while the Jaguars had no first downs.

“I thought the team was ready,” Pederson said. “We failed to execute on the opening drive on defense and we failed to execute on opening drive on offense. That’s the part that is disappointing because these guys were ready to go.

“To have a lack of execution like we did early in the game, it just kind of snowballed from there.”

Purdy went 19 of 26 for 296 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Kittle had three receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown.

The 49ers outperformed the Jaguars 437-221, with wide receiver Deebo Samuel adding a touchdown on a reverse late in the third quarter.

The Jaguars did not force a turnover after entering the game leading the NFL with 18. They are 0-2 this season when not forcing a turnover, and Oluokun had the team’s two sacks.

“That’s not the kind of football team we want to be right there, so let’s start fighting,” Oluokun said. “Let’s start working to get better. We have a strong opponent coming up next week (the Tennessee Titans of the AFC South). I’m ready to work.”

Action by Action

1. The 49ers dominated from the start, sacking the Jaguars twice and forcing them to punt on their first two drives. They quickly scored a touchdown on a 13-yard pass from Purdy to Aiyuk, then added a 39-yard field goal by Moody to make it 10-0 in the first quarter.
2. The Jaguars’ defense held the 49ers in check for the rest of the half, and their offense mounted a long drive that ended with a 37-yard field goal by McManus, cutting the deficit to 10-3. However, Moody kicked another field goal as time expired in the second quarter, extending the 49ers’ lead to 13-3.
3. The 49ers blew the game open in the third quarter, as Kittle caught a 66-yard touchdown pass on their second play. The Jaguars fumbled the ball away on their next drive, and Samuel ran for a 23-yard touchdown to make it 27-3. The 49ers added another touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 22-yard pass from Purdy to Juszczyk, following Lawrence’s second interception of the game.

Notable:

The Jaguars were without wide receiver Zay Jones, who was ruled out on Friday with a knee injury. He was the only starter among the five players who did not suit up for the Jaguars on Sunday. Safety Andre Cisco and cornerback Tyson Campbell, who were questionable with hamstring injuries, played in the game. The other inactive players for the Jaguars were cornerback Montaric Brown, outside linebacker Yasir Abdullah, offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen and defensive tackle Angelo Blackson. Injury Report:

The Jaguars lost wide receiver/returner Jamal Agnew to a shoulder injury in the first quarter. He did not come back to the game. Campbell also left the game with a hamstring injury in the third quarter and did not return.