The San Francisco 49ers played the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were on a roll, in a pivotal game after their bye week.
With the 49ers on a three-game losing streak, Sunday’s game in Duval County seemed like a pivotal moment for the 2023 campaign.
Under intense pressure, Brock Purdy, Steve Wilks, and Kyle Shanahan all made a significant response. The 49ers easily defeated the Jaguars 34–3 on the road thanks to a strong showing on both sides of the ball. In addition to ending their losing skid, the 49ers ended the Jaguars’ five-game winning streak.
Here are some highlights and takeaways from the 49ers’ decisive victory over the Jaguars on Sunday.
Defensive Line is good.
Talk about the 49ers’ pass rush was prevalent during their three-game losing run. Throughout their three-game losing streak, the 49ers’ front seven failed to get much pressure on the quarterback. However, on Sunday, they controlled the game and caused chaos each time Trevor Lawerence dropped back.
The 49ers sacked Lawerence five times on Sunday, ending the Jaguars’ drive on their opening two possessions of the game with their first two sacks occurring on third down.
Not only did Nick Bosa and Chase Young cause issues up front, but several other 49ers defensive line members also contributed. On Sunday, Clelin Ferrell, Javon Hargrave, and Arik Armstead all recorded sacks.
Lawerence hardly had time to locate his weapons, such as Christian Kirk and Calvin Ridley downfield, with the pressure up front.
Bad: Christian McCaffrey
Let’s face it, it’s difficult to find anything wrong when a team crushes another team 34-3. Now hear me out: although Christian McCaffrey had 147 total yards versus the Jaguars, he certainly deserves to be on the positive side of this column, but Sunday’s game ended the 49ers running back’s historic run.
Finding the end zone was the only thing McCaffrey failed to do on Sunday. McCaffrey’s lengthy scoring streak came to an end on Sunday in Jacksonville, despite a heroic last-minute push by the 49ers offence to score a touchdown.
McCaffrey’s touchdown run ended after 17 games with a touchdown (including three playoff games). The 49ers’ franchise record for touchdowns in 17 games will remain in place.
Good: The Buckeye Connection
With Nick Bosa and Chase Young on the defensive line together, the 49ers’ new-look pass rush made its much-awaited debut on Sunday.
On deadline day, Young was acquired by the 49ers in a blockbuster trade with the Washington Commanders. Young made a good impact right away by combining with Bosa to sack Lawerence as a unit.
Bosa flourished because Young was applying pressure on the other side of the queue. In addition to three tackles and 1.5 sacks, the current defensive player of the year also had three tackles for loss and one tackle for loss. Bosa added a pass deflection on top of that.
Young ended with a tackle, a half-sack, and a quarterback hit in his debut.
Bad: Colton McKivitz
Despite Trent Williams’ return to left tackle, the opposing offensive line found it difficult to impede the Jaguars’ pass rush. Travon Walker assigned himself to Colton McKivitz, and the former first overall pick got his way. Walker was everywhere in Purdy.
Walker applied pressure to Purdy repeatedly, forcing him out of the pocket even though he did not record a sack. Against the Niners, Walker recorded a pass deflection and two quarterback pressures.
Good: Brock Purdy
Brock Purdy led the 49ers’ three-game losing streak with several crucial blunders, but on Sunday against the Jaguars, he produced a much-needed comeback performance.
Despite a few wild passes, one of which found Brandon Aiyuk for a touchdown, Purdy was steadfast and decisive in Sunday’s game against the Jaguars’ underappreciated defence.
Purdy completed the game with 3 touchdowns, 296 yards on 19 of 26 passes, and—most importantly—no interceptions.
Good: Steve Wilks
This is the first season that defensive coordinator Steve Wilks has not coached from the booth, but rather from the sidelines. The 49ers’ defence excelled with Wilks on the sidelines, allowing the Jaguars’ offence to muster just 221 total yards. Travis Etienne, the premier running back for the Jaguars, was limited to 35 rush yards on nine carries by the 49ers’ strong run defence.
The 49ers defence not only sacks Lawerence five times but also forces him to throw two interceptions. Lawerence completed with just 185 throwing yards and no touchdowns. Lawerence’s 185 passing yards was his lowest total in three games, and it was also his first pass-only game since Week 2.
The 49ers defence appeared to have the edge they had been missing over the previous two weeks with Wilks out of the game. Wilks seemed agitated when he saw the 49ers defensive coordinator on the sidelines.
