My goodness, this was an ugly game. The Jacksonville Jaguars had 12 accepted penalties for 90 yards, and most of the points came on takeaways. While that last note might be considered a win, the offense struggled to get anything going unless running back Travis Etienne Jr. had the ball—which is why he's our first winner.
But a win's a win. Despite defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile's grinning face on the sidelines, this was a lot like last week—the Jaguars won 26-21 almost in spite of themselves. With that said, let's get into the winners and losers.
Jaguars winner No. 1: Running back Travis Etienne Jr.
For a while, not only was running back Travis Etienne Jr. carrying the Jaguars offense: He WAS the offense, with 19 rushes for 124 yards and a touchdown. Even still, Etienne took the first offensive snap after the first defensive takeaway 48 yards to the house for the game's first touchdown, and he continued to deliver whenever he had the ball in his hands.
TRAVIS ETIENNE 48-YARD HOUSE CALL
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
JAXvsSF on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/rw18T7TMD8
As head coach Liam Coen said, "It's not an easy team to run the football on."
Jaguars winner No. 2: Linebacker Devin Lloyd (and the defense)
For the record, these are in alphabetical order (by last name), because Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd had himself a day with two picks, eight tackles—one for a loss—and two pass breakups. No. 0 was all over the place. This probably won't be the last time he makes the winner list. He's in a contract year, and he's playing like it. The hustle is evident, and my man doesn't miss tackles.
An extra shout to defensive tackle (and former 49er) Arik Armstead. When the offense couldn't deliver—more on them later—he came through on San Francisco's last drive to force a fumble and Jacksonville's fourth takeaway of the game. ESPN claimed that "Purdy wasn't sharp in his first game back after missing two games with a toe injury," though I'd chalk this up more to the suffocating Jaguars defense rather than a lingering injury.
Jaguars winner No. 3: Wide receiver Parker Washington (and the special teams)
Just when the San Francisco 49ers were starting to flip the momentum, wide receiver Parker Washington returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown. As expected, kicker Cam Little went 2-of-3 on field goals, and punter Logan Cooke averaged about 45 yards per punt (which he did too much of this game, but more on that in the losers below).
Related: Jaguars' Travis Etienne continues to see stock skyrocket with dynamic play vs. 49ers
Jaguars loser No. 1: Penalties. Just... penalties...
It was really hard to narrow down the loser for the Jags, since no one really played poorly on an individual level. While Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence didn't shine, he wasn't exactly a liability aside from a few pre-snap miscues. The offensive line blocked well enough for Etienne to have a day, and there weren't any noticeable drops.
But the penalties. Imagine what that game would have looked like if the Jaguars hadn't been aiming at their own foot for 60 minutes? The good news? If they can get the little things cleaned up, they're slowly proving that they're a force to be reckoned with.
Jaguars loser No. 2: Quarterback Trevor Lawrence
Okay, he wasn't terrible, but let's face it: The Jaguars aren't winning games because of No. 16. Lawrence started off hot today, but quickly cooled down. While he had a decent QBR at 92.7, he missed a few balls, and the offense seemed stagnant outside of the run game. Sure, he didn't turn the ball over (finally), but then he runs out of bounds with 2:36? Come on...
Related: Jaguars lose Travon Walker and another key defensive cog to injury in 49ers game
Final thoughts
The Jaguars won, but they didn't always play like they deserved it. The offense was absent at times—unless Etienne had the ball—and they couldn't stop committing penalties. Thankfully, the defense was there to bail them out, and the Jaguars scraped away with an ugly 26-21 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.