The 49ers didn’t look right in the three weeks leading up to their bye. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said before the bye that the team needed the week off. It looked like a week away paid off for them Sunday in a 34-3 drubbing of the Jaguars in Jacksonville.
Here are our observations and notes from each quarter of San Francisco’s sixth win of the year:
First quarter
– The 49ers corners on the first play from scrimmage was playing tight, press coverage and helped force a throwaway by QB Trevor Lawrence. It looked like Fred Warner was in man coverage with TE Evan Engram and got to rush Lawrence after Engram stayed in to block.
– A sack for Arik Armstead and Clelin Ferrell ends the first series for Jacksonville. That looked much more like the 49ers defense we saw the first five games. The got good pressure twice and Warner delivered a big hit on a short completion.
– Three snaps, three orbit motions for WR Deebo Samuel and it’s clearly affecting the Jags in the second level. Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle were both wide open for easy completions that got San Francisco inside the red zone.
– Wow. What a first drive for San Francisco. They needed four plays to go 57 yards and they capped it with a sick (dangerous?) throw from Brock Purdy to Brandon Aiyuk for a touchdown. Purdy’s ball placement was perfect behind two defenders and Aiyuk snatched it for a score. It’s 7-0, 49ers.
– Jags have been in second-and-long twice in two drives. They had an incompletion on their first series and then had a run stuffed for no gain on their second series.
– Another third-down sack for the 49ers. This time it was Javon Hargrave and Nick Bosa. Neither player got blocked on what looked like a screen for Jacksonville that never got a chance to materialize.
– Five plays for the 49ers offense, four passes (all complete).
– What a third-down pitch and catch from Purdy to Jauan Jennings to convert on third-and-8.
– Yuck. Third-and-4 and Purdy can’t make a play outside the pocket. He was sacked in the red zone and San Francisco had to settle for a field goal. Jake Moody was good from 39 yards out. It’s 10-0, 49ers.
– That didn’t look good. It looked like Arik Armstead went down with a knee injury to start the Jaguars’ second drive. He was slow to get up and slowly walked off the field. Kevin Givens took his place.
– Jags first first down comes on their third series. Warner just missed a pass breakup on third down.
– Armstead is back on the field for a third-and-7. Lawrence ripped a throw through the middle that went incomplete. Three punts on three drives for the home team and the 49ers defense is cooking early.
– An offensive pass interference on Brandon Aiyuk set the 49ers behind the sticks to start their series. They never got back ahead of them and punted for the first time.
End of first quarter: 49ers 10, Jaguars 0
Second quarter
– Fred Warner is everywhere. Sheesh.
– The Jags got an explosive run the first time they tried an outside run. RB Travis Etienne got 16 yards off the right side.
– An immediate impact from Chase Young who got to Lawrence first in a combined sack with Nick Bosa. Bosa also pulled the ball out and recovered it for a turnover near midfield. What a play for the 49ers defense.
– Oof. The 49ers converted a third-and-6, but Trent Williams was flagged for holding to make it a third-and-16.
– Purdy got smoked on the third-and-16 and nearly turned it over. The fluttering pass fell incomplete. RT Colton McKivitz got worked on that play. It looked like Purdy had George Kittle open on the right side.
– Mitch Wishnowsky’s punt was downed at the 1. He’s been unreal this year.
– Jags needed two plays to get out of the shadow of their goal post. Dre Greenlaw got blown away by Christian Kirk on a second-and-long.
– Yikes. The 49ers defense is on its heels now. They gave up an explosive run that was called back for holding, so the Jags went to a screen on their next play and got a first down anyway.
– Another screen, another big gain. The 49ers defense has nothing for those. Greenlaw whiffed a tackle.
– This drive looks like the last three weeks for the 49ers defense. They look off balance and they’re missing tackles. Jacksonville hasn’t faced a ton of resistance and they’re in the red zone.
– Terrific defense by Charvarius Ward on a third-down shot to the end zone. He tipped the throw away from Kirk, who killed the 49ers on that drive. Jacksonville settled for a field goal to make it 10-3.
– Big drive for the 49ers offense coming up. They have 4:20 to kill and they get the ball after the half. Points on this series and after halftime would put them in a great spot to play their brand of football in the final 30 minutes.
– Purdy is holding the ball for way too long. He’s gotten rocked a couple times.
– Christian McCaffrey getting a ton of work on this four-minute drive. Three consecutive touches for him get 34 yards and San Francisco is in plus territory at the two-minute warning.
– An Elijah Mitchell sighting! He took a carry for three yards on the first play after the two-minute warning.
– What run by McCaffrey on a third-and-2. He got stacked up at the line, but somehow churned forward for a couple yards and a first down. That was remarkable and puts the 49ers in the driver’s seat for points on the final drive.
– Good drive for the 49ers, but it stalled out thanks to an intentional grounding call on Purdy. They still made it the last possession of the half, which was the ultimate goal. Moody just connected on the 35-yard field goal to make it a 10-point game at halftime.
Halftime: 49ers 13, Jaguars 3
Third quarter
– First play of the second half is a nine-yard completion to Deebo Samuel. Getting in second-and-short is so key.
– Wow. Second play of the second half is a 66-yard deep shot to George Kittle that goes for a touchdown. Unreal work from Brock Purdy to pump fake and then get the ball out while the pocket was collapsing. Not to mention he threw a dime. Sheesh. 49ers now up 20-3.
– Another sack for Clelin Ferrell opens the Jaguars’ first drive of the second half. The 49ers’ defensive front has been dynamite.
– Ambry Thomas has been in the game as the second outside CB with Isaiah Oliver on the sidelines. Deommodore Lenoir is working out of the slot.
– And on cue Lenoir gets whooped by Christian Kirk out of the slot.
– Pressure by Nick Bosa forces an errant throw by Trevor Lawrence on a third down. He threw it a little hot and high to RB Tank Bigsby. It went off Bigsby’s hands and right to SS Talanoa Hufanga for the 49ers’ second takeaway.
– Tough series for the 49ers after the takeaway. A quick three-and-out that ended in a sack. Purdy has made a couple really good throws, but he’s also looked indecisive in the pocket.
– The 49ers finally read a screen correctly. Lenoir had it sniffed out for no gain, but he missed the tackle and gave up five yards to make it third-and-5 instead of third-and-10.
– Brutal. San Francisco’s defensive line forces a third-down throwaway, but Charvarius Ward was flagged for holding and Bosa was flagged for roughing the passer. It’s not super clear what Bosa did to draw a penalty. They might’ve flagged him for hitting Lawrence up high or for driving him into the ground.
– 39-yard completion after the penalty. Lawrence just made an individually brilliant play to buy time and find Kirk working deep against Lenoir. Kirk did a nice job working back to the ball as well after his QB left it a little short.
– Good coverage on a shot to the end zone from inside the 10 by Ambry Thomas on Calvin Ridley.
– WOW. Now Thomas forces a fumble, picks it up and runs it back 95 yards for a touchdown, but it was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct at the spot of the foul during the return and the 49ers had to take it back at their own 19 because reserve LB Dee Winters was on the field when he should not have been. Absolutely BRUTAL from the rookie.
– Purdy has been so indecisive. He’s clearly shook from the few interceptions he threw before the bye week. There’s been a lot of pressure on him today that didn’t need to be there.
– Nice throw to Kittle up the seam by Purdy.
– Whew. Deebo Samuel goes 23 yards for a touchdown on an end around. He had Trent Williams and Charlie Woerner leading the way to get into the end zone virtually untouched. That was a big-time drive by San Francisco’s offense after Thomas’ TD was waved off. It’s 27-3 and the 49ers are rolling.
– Another sack by Bosa and the fifth of the game for the 49ers. Nice work by the coverage downfield to force Lawrence to hold onto the ball.
End of third quarter: 49ers 27, Jaguars 3
Fourth quarter
– Another takeaway for the 49ers thanks to Javon Hargrave. The big DT got home to hit Lawrence as he was releasing on a fourth-and-15. The floating throw hit Fred Warner right in the chest for his third interception of the season.
– There’s the 30-plus point mark. Kyle Juszczyk hauls in a 22-yard TD pass to make it 34-3. The fullback found room in the middle of the zone and was wide open at the goal line in the middle of the field. That should do it in Jacksonville.
– Good pass breakup by Tashaun Gipson on the Jaguars’ opening play after the TD.
– Now Javon Kinlaw gets a hand up to bat a throw down at the line of scrimmage.
– This is where the 49ers defense eats. They’re up a million and cooking. They forced a three-and-out where the Jags punted on a fourth-and-20 when they lost five yards on a screen pass.
– A Ronnie Bell 20-yard reception. Sure!
– The 20-yard completion to Bell was Purdy’s last play oof the day. Sam Darnold is in now. Christian McCaffrey is also done with Elijah Mitchell leading the way in the backfield.
– Nope. McCaffrey was not done. The 49ers tried desperately to get him a touchdown in his 18th consecutive game. It did not go well and San Francisco got shut down inside the 5.
Final score: 49ers 34, Jaguars 3
