After winning their first three games of the season, the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium and were handed their first loss of the year, falling 26-21 in Week 4.
San Francisco got starting quarterback Brock Purdy back after two weeks off, but his return wasn’t enough to overcome the stout Jaguars defense, which kept the 49ers’ offense from gaining much momentum.
As we comb through this Week 4 loss, there were a few 49ers who shouldn’t be thrilled with their performance and will need to put in extra effort on the practice field this week before they play again.
Brock Purdy
Purdy’s return wasn’t the performance that the 49ers were hoping for. His mobility was limited and his touch was off. He completed just 57.9% of his passes for 309 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was also strip-sacked on San Francisco’s final possession of the game in the fourth quarter.
Luke Farrell
Without George Kittle, Farrell has been the team’s top tight end on the depth chart. He was targeted just twice on Sunday, catching both for 20 yards. However, on Farrell’s second and final catch of the game, he fumbled, giving the ball back to the Jaguars and setting them up for a one-play touchdown drive.
Kick/Punt Coverage
Not only did San Francisco allow Parker Washington to return a punt 87 yards for a touchdown, but they also allowed kick returns of 54 yards, 25 yards and 24 yards (which was turned into a 39-yard return after an unnecessary roughness penalty).
Ground Game
Christian McCaffrey was San Francisco’s leading rusher on the day, carrying the ball 17 times for just 49 yards (2.9 yards per attempt). It’s hard to find success in the passing game if you’re running game is struggling to that level.
Run defense
Travis Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten combined for 138 yards and a touchdown on an incredible 6.0 yards per attempt. That’s flat out unacceptable, as teams that have that level of success on the ground will control the time of possession and tempo regularly.
More 49ers: 49ers vs. Jaguars: Best performers from San Francisco’s first loss
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers vs. Jaguars: Worst performances from San Francisco’s ugly loss to Jacksonville
Reporting by Mike Masala, Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
