The Jacksonville Jaguars had a chance to solidify their place as one of the top teams in the NFL in Week 11. All they had to do was dispose of a San Francisco 49ers team that was riding a three-game losing skid entering the game. However, the 49ers proved to be too much for the Jags, who ultimately lost 34-3.
Although this isn't Jacksonville's first loss of the year, it was without a doubt the most embarrassing one. They were outmatched on both offense and defense, with neither side being able to make plays. Granted, the defense made a handful of stops before halftime and limited San Francisco to 10 points. However, the offense couldn't take advantage of the opportunities and mustered a measly three points in the second half.
This was particularly surprising because the Jags missed several opportunities before their BYE but they also displayed competence and managed to win five games in a row. Against the Niners though, they looked uninspired, and out of sync. On the bright side, Jacksonville has ample time to make adjustments and clean up mistakes. With that in mind, here are three takeaways from the game.
3. The Jaguars defense flashed but the 49ers were too much to overcome
The Jags held San Francisco to three points in the first half but things snowballed after halftime. They gave up lots of yards early on but would eventually force stops. But after tight end George Kittle's touchdown pass in the third quarter to make it 20-3, things fell apart. The defense started to give up big plays and would go on to allow two more touchdowns.
Safety Andre Cisco didn't look well in his first game back from a hamstring injury and linebacker Devin Lloyd made a couple of baffling mistakes, including a facemask penalty, and giving up a touchdown. Josh Allen and Travon Walker did a good job of consistently bringing the heat but failed to get to Bruck Purdy, who was seemingly unfazed by the pressure.
On top of that, that Jaguars defense that was known for creating takeaways at a high rate this season didn't show up Sunday. While the offense turned the ball over four times, the defense didn't tally a single takeaway. Add their inability to stop the 49ers and you can see why they had one of their worst performances of the season.
2. The Jaguars offense was out of synch, made several fatal mistakes vs. the 49ers
Heading into the game, offensive coordinator Press Taylor told the media that one of the team's top priorities was cutting down on the turnovers. It's fair to say that they failed to accomplish the goal against the Niners. In fact, you could even make the case they took several steps back in Week 10, turning the ball over four times.
The offensive line, for one, had trouble containing the 49ers defensive front throughout most of the game. However, that doesn't justify Trevor Lawrence's poor outing. Lawrence had a handful of nice throws, a few of them under pressure. However, he also made several crassing mistakes.
Running back Tank Bigsby should've caught that pass that became an interception but Lawrence should've taken the sack instead of making a last-ditch attempt to get rid of the ball. Similarly, his other pick, the one where he targeted Christian Kirk in San Francisco territory could've been avoided. Looking for a big play, he forced a pass when he had other options available. That said, Lawrence isn't the sole reason the Jags mustered a paltry three points. There's plenty of blame to pass around.
Kirk himself lost a fumble in 49ers territory. Also, the Jags tried a flea flicker and he overthrew a pass to running back Travis Etienne. Had the throw been completed, Jacksonville would've been close to scoring range.
Walker Little struggled in his first start at left guard after missing the last three weeks with a knee injury. Maybe it's the position switch or perhaps he wasn't 100 percent healthy, regardless of the reason, he and center Luke Fortner struggled to contain the 49ers interior pass rush.
In the end, all those issues the Jaguars offense had in the first half of the season showed up Sunday. Unless they fix them as soon as possible, they'll once again struggle to score when they take on the Tennessee Titans in Week 11.
1. The Jaguars deserve the Pretender label following the loss vs. the 49ers
The Jags made noise in the first half of the season. Their 6-2 record was tied for the best in the AFC and they riding a five-game winning streak heading into Week 10. While some analysts and talking heads began to hop onto the Jacksonville bandwagon, some remained unconvinced, among them was Chris Broussard of FS1, who went as far as to call them pretenders. Broussard got lots of flak for his comments but maybe he was into something.
Broussard has conceded that the Jaguars are good enough to win the AFC South in 2023 but they don't have what it takes to make a deep playoff run. Looking at the embarrassing loss to the 49ers, that could be the case.
Now, one game doesn't make or break a team but the Jags showed they have lots of work to do if they want to be mentioned in the same breath as teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs or the Baltimore Ravens. To make matters worse, the Houston Texans are narrowing the gap between them and the Jags in the race for the AFC South crown. Unlike Jacksonville, they took care of business in Week 11, beating the playoff-bound Cincinnati Bengals.
Now, the 5-3 Texans are one game behind Jacksonville and they've already beat them in Week 3. If the Jaguars lose in Week 12, Houston could take over the No. 1 place in the division.
It's not time to panic yet for the Jacksonville Jaguars but the loss to the 49ers should be a wake-up call. If they don't bounce back and put it all together against Tennessee, their season could soon take an ugly turn.