Jacksonville returned home to take on yet another team with a losing record on Sunday, but the contest against the San Francisco 49ers wasn’t nearly as close as last week’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts. While the Jags found themselves in an early hole against Indy, they were able to fight back and get the game within one score.
No such comeback effort was in the cards against the 49ers. Their defense forced one of the most anemic offensive performances Jacksonville has had all season, while quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo led an efficient offensive performance on his end, and multiple injuries tested the Jags’ limited depth.
After scoring just three points in the first quarter, the 49ers had a big second quarter and led 20-3 at the break. That only got worse coming out of the locker room, and they eventually won 30-10. The Jags are now 2-8, and it doesn’t appear that this team is poised for a turnaround during the second half of the season.
Here are the takeaways and notes from another disappointing performance.
This offense simply doesn’t have enough pieces
We’ve been saying it for a while, and it was never more apparent than in Sunday’s loss: Trevor Lawrence hasn’t been a transcendent player as a rookie, but he’s not the problem. Far from it. This team simply doesn’t have the weapons around him.
He was fairly efficient on Sunday, completing 16 of 25 passes for 158 yards without any interceptions. But he also once again didn’t throw any touchdowns, and he was sacked three times (two of which came from Nick Bosa).
Additionally, he didn’t have much help on the ground. James Robinson had one of his worst rushing performances of the season, taking his 12 carries for just 29 yards, albeit with a touchdown. The ‘Niners have a talented front seven, and a Jacksonville offensive line that saw Cam Robinson leave the game couldn’t keep up.
The Jags only totaled 200 yards, and that’s not going to cut it. Lawrence’s rookie year hasn’t gone as expected, and improving the offense (whether that means coaching changes, personnel changes, or both) should be Jacksonville’s top priority this offseason.
The defense takes a step back
Sunday’s game wasn’t an abysmal performance like we came to expect from this team during the early part of the season, but it certainly wasn’t the impressive level of play we’ve seen from the unit the last two weeks.
The 49ers found a lot of success on the ground, going for 171 yards. Receiver Deebo Samuel led the way with 79 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, followed by Jeff Wilson (50 yards on 19 carries) and Trey Sermon (32 yards on 10 carries).
Jacksonville also struggled to contain Jonathan Taylor last week, but that’s par for the course in the league this year. Allowing this kind of day from the 49ers’ offense is a bit more frustrating.
Garoppolo wasn’t asked to do much given the fact that San Francisco ran the ball 42 times, but he took care of business, going 16-of-22 for 176 yards and two touchdowns.
The defense has certainly taken strides as the season has gone on, but Sunday’s game made it clear that the unit isn’t quite at the point of being consistently strong.
Other notes
- The Jags were dealing with a mountain of injuries on Sunday, and at one point, three starters were down in the secondary. Shaquill Griffin and Tyson Campbell suffered injuries, with the former being ruled out with a concussion, and Rayshawn Jenkins was ejected after an unnecessary roughness call. With those players out, Brandon Aiyuk had a big day, making seven catches for 85 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, tight end George Kittle had four catches for 34 yards and a score. Samuel only had one catch, but his impact was mostly felt on the ground. Still, no one in Jacksonville’s secondary was credited with a pass deflection.
- The receiving corps continues to make things difficult for Lawrence, and though Marvin Jones Jr. and Laviska Shenault Jr. each crossed the 50-yard mark, neither found the end zone. Jamal Agnew, who has seen an increased role since the injury to D.J. Chark Jr., made just three catches for 18 yards before exiting with an injury. Tavon Austin and Laquon Treadwell each had a catch, while new active roster addition John Brown was targeted once but didn’t have any receptions.
- Another player that didn’t have any receptions was tight end, Dan Arnold. He had been one of Lawrence’s favorite targets heading into this game, but he was almost entirely contained by the San Francisco defense, not even seeing a single target. He’s been arguably the most reliable player in the passing game, and it’s hard for Lawrence to make plays when he’s wrapped up.
- Josh Allen continues to have a very strong second half of the season, as he notched 10 tackles (one for loss) with a forced fumble. He’s played very well over the last month or so, and he’s the most disruptive player on this defense at the moment. He didn’t have a sack, though, and the only two players to net sacks were Roy Robertson-Harris and Damien Wilson. Dawuane Smoot had a sack wiped away by a defensive holding penalty.