49ers buried underneath avalanche of errors in 26-21 loss to Jaguars

For much of their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers looked nowhere near the team that walked into Week 4 of the NFL season with an unbeaten record.

Sure, the 49ers had their moments during their 26-21 loss to the Jaguars at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara and even found themselves in a position late in the game to steal a win. But those moments were overshadowed by costly mistakes in all facets of the game, including four turnovers and two long returns that led to 10 Jaguars points.

Quarterback Brock Purdy, who was back in the starting lineup after missing two weeks due to a toe injury, committed three of those turnovers in the form of two interceptions and a fumble. Purdy had an erratic day in general, completing 22-of-38 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns to go with his interceptions. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence finished with 174 yards and one touchdown on 21-of-31 passing for the Jaguars, while running back Travis Etienne chipped in 124 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries.

A dumpster fire of a first-half performance for 49ers

The 49ers opened the game with possession at their own 35-yard line and put together a time-consuming drive off the bat, moving 57 yards in 13 plays to take a 3-0 lead on a 26-yard field goal by Eddy Pineiro. An 18-yard catch by fullback Kyle Juszczyk started off the drive, then a series of runs from Christian McCaffrey, Brian Robinson and Purdy moved the ball inside the Jaguars' 20-yard line. But after a 9-yard completion to tight end Luke Farrell moved the ball inside the 10, the drive stalled and the 49ers were forced to settle for Pineiro's field goal.

The Jaguars followed with a 12-play 53-yard drive that ended in a punt, but after that came the first of two costly turnovers for the 49ers. After taking over at their own 20-yard line, the 49ers moved out to the 35-yard line before Farrell fumbled the ball after a hit from linebacker Dennis Gardeck. Safety Andrew Wingard gave the Jaguars possession at the 48, then on the next play, Etienne took a handoff around the left side and found a seam to the end zone, giving the Jaguars a 7-3 lead.

Things got started off on the right foot for the 49ers on the next drive, as Purdy connected with wide receiver Ricky Pearsall on a 3rd-and-4 play for a 32-yard gain to the Jaguars' 37-yard line. But on the next play, the 49ers gave the ball back to the Jaguars when a pass from Purdy was juggled and deflected by McCaffrey before being picked off by linebacker Devin Lloyd.

The Jaguars began the next possession at their own 11-yard line after an unnecessary roughness penalty during the interception, then moved backwards after two holding penalties. But on 3rd and 15 from the 6-yard line, Lawrence connected with wide receiver Travis Hunter for a 28-yard gain to the 34. The Jaguars later faced a 3rd-and-6 from midfield but kept the drive alive with an 11-yard completion to tight end Brenton Strange. The Jaguars kept moving downfield until eventually winding up in a 1st-and-Goal at the 4, after which Lawrence capped a 14-play, 89-yard drive with a touchdown toss to Hunter Long, giving the Jaguars a 14-3 lead with just over five minutes left in the half.

A three-and-out from the 49ers gave the ball back to the Jaguars, who took over at their own 29-yard line with just over three minutes remaining. The 49ers responded with a three-and-out of their own, getting the ball back after Jaguars had it for less than a minute. A 15-yard penalty for kick catch interference put the ball at the 41-yard line, then after a dropped pass by wide receiver Kendrick Bourne on first down and another drop by McCaffrey on second down, Purdy kept the drive going with a 14-yard completion to tight end Jake Tonges to move the ball across midfield before the two-minute warning.

A 10-yard run from Purdy followed by a hook-and-ladder play where Pearsall flipped the ball to McCaffrey moved the ball inside the 20, then a 10-yarc completion gave the 49ers a 1st-and-Goal. But the 49ers once again fizzled in the red zone and had to settle for a Pineiro field goal, this one from 23 yards to cut the lead to 14-6 with 40 seconds left in the half.

Those 40 seconds proved to be enough for the Jaguars to add more points in large part due to a 54-yard kick return by Bhayshul Tuten. The ugliness continued from there as a 7-yard completion combined with a 15-yard face mask penalty on linebacker Dee Winters moved the ball to the 25-yard line, then an 11-yard completion to wide receiver Bryan Thomas moved the ball to the 14. The 49ers kept the Jaguars out of the end zone from there, but a 26-yard field goal from Cam Little as time expired gave the Jaguars a 17-6 lead at the half.

The Jaguars held a 231-186 edge in yardage at the half, while averaging 7.1 yards per carry. Lawrence finished the half with 132 yards and one touchdown on 15-of-20 passing, while Purdy sat at 135 yards and one interception on 11-of-21 passing.

Signs of life in the second half before the Jaguars finish the job

The 49ers got the start they needed to begin the second half. After forcing a Jaguars punt near midfield on the first possession of the third quarter, the 49ers put together an 8-play, 73-yard drive that ended with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Purdy to McCaffrey. A 23-yard completion to Tonges and a 14-yard catch by wide receiver Jauan Jennings helped the 49ers move downfield, after which they got an assist from two Jaguars penalties. On a 2nd-and-Goal from the 8-yard line, Purdy tossed a shovel pass to McCaffrey, who weaved through the defense for a touchdown. The 49ers added a two-point conversion on a Jennings catch after the touchdown, cutting the lead to 17-14.

The momentum swing unfortunately didn't last much longer for the 49ers. The Jaguars moved into 49ers territory on the ensuing drive before being forced to punt, but they got the ball back when Purdy threw the ball right into the hands of Lloyd, who gave the Jaguars the ball at the 49ers' 28-yard line. The Jaguars turned the interception into a field goal, which opened up a 20-14 late third quarter lead.

The 49ers were held to a three-and-out after the field goal, then any thought of the 49ers quickly recapturing the momentum went away on the ensuing punt, which saw the 49ers commit their second major special teams coverage mistake of the day. This one resulted in a touchdown, as Parker Washington took Thomas Morstead's punt and dashed 87 yards in the other direction, giving the Jaguars a touchdown and a 26-14 lead. A two-point conversion attempt after the touchdown failed, leaving the Jaguars' advantage at 12 with just over two minutes left in the third.

The 49ers answered with a seven-play, 39-yard drive that came to an end deep in Jaguars territory when a Purdy overthrow of wide receiver Demarcus Robinson led to a turnover on downs. The 49ers forced a three-and-out from there, but a 58-yard punt from Logan Cooke left the 49ers facing a long field from their own 8-yard line.

The poor field position didn't quite do the 49ers in, as they moved 92 yards in eight plays to cut the lead to 26-21 on a touchdown pass from Purdy to Tonges. A 29-yard catch by McCaffrey followed by a 17-yard reception by wide receiver Kendrick Bourne and an 11-yard catch by Juszczyk helped move the ball to the 21, then Tonges did the rest to give the 49ers life with 7:41 left in the game.

The Jaguars started the next possession on their own 44-yard line after a 24-yard return and a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on the 49ers' Chase Lucas. They moved 27 yards in nine plays, taking over four minutes off the clock before facing a 4th-and-4 at the 49ers' 29. The Jaguars then elected to attempt a 47-yard field goal by Little, which was missed wide right, giving the 49ers another chance with 3:32 remaining.

But, as was the case throughout the game, the 49ers found their hopes quickly diminished due to one last major error. This one came courtesy of a very familiar face -- former 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead, who got to Purdy for a strip sack that was recovered by linebacker Foyesade Oluokun at the 49ers' 47-yard line.

The Jaguars were able to run out the clock from there, sealing their third win of the season against one defeat. The 49ers fell to 3-1 with the loss.

Game Notes

The 49ers head into a short week before returning to action on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams. The game kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET/5:15 p.m. PT at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood and is available for viewing on Prime Video... Sunday's meeting was the eighth all-time between the 49ers and Jaguars. The 49ers had a five-game winning streak in the series heading into the day and now hold a 5-3 all-time edge over the Jaguars.

Scoring Summary

• Q1 08:36 — JAX 0, SF 3
  E. Pineiro 26 yd. Field Goal (13 plays, 57 yds, 6:27)
• Q2 14:50 — JAX 7, SF 3
  T. Etienne 48 yd. run (C. Little kick) (1 plays, 48 yds, 0:09)
• Q2 05:06 — JAX 14, SF 3
  H. Long 4 yd. pass from T. Lawrence (C. Little kick) (13 plays, 89 yds, 8:01)
• Q2 00:43 — JAX 14, SF 6
  E. Pineiro 23 yd. Field Goal (12 plays, 54 yds, 1:48)
• Q2 00:02 — JAX 17, SF 6
  C. Little 26 yd. Field Goal (6 plays, 39 yds, 0:40)
• Q3 08:39 — JAX 17, SF 14
  C. McCaffrey 8 yd. pass from B. Purdy (B. Purdy-J. Jennings pass) (8 plays, 73 yds, 4:04)
• Q3 04:11 — JAX 20, SF 14
  C. Little 44 yd. Field Goal (4 plays, 3 yds, 1:55)
• Q3 02:40 — JAX 26, SF 14
  P. Washington 87 yd. punt return (pass failed)
• Q4 07:49 — JAX 26, SF 21
  J. Tonges 21 yd. pass from B. Purdy (E. Pineiro kick) (8 plays, 92 yds, 4:16)

Game and Player Stats