The San Francisco 49ers returned off a bye week and looked like the team that started this season crushing opponents in the first five games. The 49ers blew out the AFC-South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars 34-3 and showed no signs of the team that lost three straight games heading into last week’s bye.
With a young core under the leadership of Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville, who had just returned from a bye week, entered Sunday on a five-game winning streak and appeared prepared to take a step toward being a legit AFC contender. The loss is a step back and resets expectations a bit for the Jaguars as we head into the back half of the schedule.
What Changed for the 49ers?
The San Francisco offense entered the game healthy for the first time since they played Cleveland in Week 6, the first game of the losing streak. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel and offensive tackle Trent Williams played for the first time since the loss to the Browns.
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Quarterback Brock Purdy benefited from the week off after suffering a concussion in the Week 7 loss to the Vikings. Purdy played in Week 8 but struggled against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The 49ers have won all six games when scoring over 30 points; the team scored 17 in each of the three losses. San Francisco had no turnovers against the Jaguars after committing seven total in the three losses. The team only turned the ball over twice in the five-game win streak to start the season.
San Francisco forced four Jacksonville turnovers and found the end zone twice after getting a takeaway. The 49ers are now 4-1 when forcing two or more turnovers, with the only loss coming against the Browns.
The one thing the 49ers were unable to accomplish was extending running back Christian McCaffrey’s streak of 17 straight games with a touchdown.
In the final five minutes, he could not get in the end zone, even though he had three rush attempts and a target on four straight plays inside the Jaguars’ 10-yard line. The streak, including playoff games, is tied with former Baltimore Colts running back Lenny Moore for most in NFL history.
What’s Ahead for the 49ers?
San Francisco goes home to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week before going back on the road for two huge road games against the Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles. The Seahawks and 49ers entered the week tied for the NFC West lead, and both were two games in the loss column behind the Eagles for the best record in the NFC.
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After the game in Philadelphia, the 49ers return home for the rematch with the Seahawks in Week 14. If San Francisco has any hope of getting back in the race for NFC home-field advantage, they need to win the next three games.
The 49ers’ last four games include a matchup against the Baltimore Ravens and three NFC teams with losing records entering the week.
What Happened to the Jaguars?
Sunday was Jacksonville’s third game with less than 20 points, and they lost each contest. The team averaged over 27 points per game during the five-game winning streak. The four turnovers against the 49ers were a season-high, but the team has already committed 17 in the first nine games.
Lawrence had a tough day with only 185 pass yards against the 49ers, more than 56 yards below his season average. He had two interceptions and lost a fumble, bringing his turnover total to 10 in the first nine games.
Jacksonville hosts the Tennessee Titans next week before traveling to play C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans, who have closed to one game behind the Jaguars in the AFC South. Then, Jacksonville will run through a three-game stretch of AFC North teams, the Bengals, Browns, and Ravens. The Jaguars finish with three teams that have three wins or fewer.
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