The Jacksonville Jaguars had a prime opportunity in Week 10. A win against the San Francisco 49ers would not only have ensured that they keep a healthy lead over the Houston Texans in the AFC South but it would also solidify their spot as one of the teams to beat in the NFL. Unfortunately, they fell flat on their face and showed they've got their work cut out if they want to be seen as a contender across the league.
Besides a drive late in the second quarter, the Jaguars' offense struggled to gain yards and turned the football over four times. Their defense, on the other hand, did a good job of containing Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers before but was vastly outplayed in the second half.
Now, a loss of such a magnitude requires a full team effort and there are several players who played a huge role in the embarrassing loss to the Niners. With this in mind, here are four duds and three studs that performed at a high level in Week 10.
No. 4 Jaguars loser from the loss tot he 49ers in Week 10: Devin Lloyd: LB
Linebacker Devin Lloyd has made huge progress in Year 2 and has established himself as a key cog on the Jaguars' defense next to veteran Foyesade Oluokun. That said, Lloyd was responsible for a couple of key mistakes in Week 10.
First, Lloyd got called for a facemask penalty. Later, he lost a one-on-one matchup against tight end George Kittle and gave up a long touchdown. The silver lining is that he's not the only defender who deserves blame for the loss but he most definitely contributed.
No. 3 Jaguars loser from the loss to the 49ers in Week 10: Tank Bigsy, RB
To say that rookie running back Tank Bigsby has underperformed this season is an understatement. Bigsby was supposed to form a 1-2 punch alongside Travis Etienne in the backfield. Instead, he's been responsible for four turnovers in limited playing time.
Against the 49ers, Bigsby couldn't catch a pass, it got deflected and the 49ers intercepted it. In his defense, Lawrence shouldn't have thrown that pass and should've taken a sack but even then, Bigsy had a chance to secure it and didn't.
No. 2 Jaguars loser from the loss to the 49ers in Week 10: Trevor Lawrence
Trevor Lawrence didn't get good protection throughout the game. This affected his decision-making negatively and led him to get rid of the ball faster than he would've liked. In the end, the third-year quarterback played one of the worst games of his young NFL career.
Besides throwing a pass to Tank Bigsby that was picked off by San Francisco, Lawrence also threw a costly interception that could've put Jacksonville in 49ers territory in the third quarter, killing any momentum the Jags had at the time. While the offensive line deserves credit for not giving Lawrence enough to throw, it's important to acknowledge that he also made a few mistakes that played a role in the loss.
No. 1 Jaguars loser from the loss to the 49ers in Week 10: Christian Kirk, WR
Wide receiver Christian Kirk had a couple of nice grabs versus the 49ers but he also had a couple of puzzling mistakes. First, the Jaguars attempted a flea flicker and he overthrew an open Travis Etienne. Later, when the Jaguars still had a slim chance to bounce back and tie the game, he got into San Francisco 49ers territory and fumbled. That's more than enough to be included on this list.
No. 3 Jaguars winner from the loss to the 49ers in Week 10: Brandon McManus, K
On a day in which the Jaguars couldn't get anything going on offense, Brandon McManus did his job and completed his sole field goal of Week 10. While kickers don't often get the spotlight or the recognition they deserve, McManus deserves credit for scoring the only three points the Jaguars had against the 49ers.
Although McManus missed a couple of attempts in Week 2, he's bounce back nicely. Since then, he's connected every single kick he's made, including four of 50+ yards. His field goal in Week 10 wasn't enough to get the Jaguars on top but he still managed to deliver when called up, something many of his teammates failed to do.
No. 2 Jaguars stud from the loss to the 49ers in Week 10: Foyesade Oluokun, LB
The Jaguars did a good job of slowing down running back Christian McCaffrey in the first half. One big reason was the presence of linebacker Foyesade Oluokun, who was all over the field containing the 49ers running game. On the other hand, he like most of his teammates had a hard time stopping the pass. That said, Oluokun registered a couple of sacks, the first two he's posted this season. Furthermore, he registered nine total tackles, including three for a loss.
No. 1 Jaguars stud from the loss to the 49ers in Week 10: Travon Walker, OLB
Travon Walker has made strides in Year 2 and in Week 10, he was consistently applying pressure at the line of scrimmage. He didn't record a sack but he usually around the football. Also, he should've been credited for a sack of Bruck Purdy. On the bright side, Purdy got called for intentional grounding, and that should account for something on a day in which not many things went right for the Jaguars.