49ers, Brock Purdy, commit a comedy of errors in their loss to the Jaguars

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan got Christian McCaffrey involved early and often on the first drive with six touches. The ground game looked good early. Brock Purdy began the drive with an 18-yard pass to Kyle Juszczyk. However, a 13-play drive stalled in the red zone, and the Niners had to settle for a field goal.

Eddy Pinero’s kickoff was headed out of bounds, but the Jaguars’ rookie returner caught it and then ran out of bounds, costing his team roughly 33 yards of field position.

The defense had a chance to make its first interception of the season after Marques Sigle tipped a pass in the air. Fred Warner, of all people, was unable to reel in the one-handed interception. Jacksonville would convert a fourth down a few plays later to remain on the field. The Brian Thomas miscues continued on 3rd & 13, which kept the Jaguars out of field goal range.

It was another scoreless first quarter by the defense. That was the fourth game in a row. It was also the first time this season the Jaguars hadn’t scored in the first quarter.

Tight end Jake Tonges left with a shoulder injury after the first drive and headed to the locker room. He came back and was on the field for the team’s second drive.

If McCaffrey was the focal point of the first drive, the second one belonged to Ricky Pearsall, who saw targets on two of the first three plays of the drive, including one reception for a first down. That drive did not last long after Luke Farrell, a former Jaguar, fumbled heading into Jacksonville territory.

The Jaguars’ offense took advantage before you could blink an eye as Travis Etienne raced down the sideline 48 yards after taking advantage of some shoddy tackling to give Jacksonville a 7-3 lead.

After a one-handed catch by Ricky Pearsall, Brock Purdy’s high pass over the middle went off Christian McCaffrey’s hands for the Niners’ second turnover in five plays. That was another scoring opportunity wasted by a turnover.

Mykel Williams and Bryce Huff drew holding penalties, backing up Trever lawrence and the Jaguars. A mistake by the refs cost the 49ers the ball and potential field position. Kyle Shanahan wanted to decline the second holding penalty to make it 3rd & 12. The referee accepted the penalty, making it 3rd & 17. Shanahan called a timeout to discuss what happened. He was argumentative and upset, thinking he had declined the previous penalty.

Travis Hunter looked to have a highlight catch on third down to give the Jaguars a first down, costing the 49ers a second timeout. So, they lost a timeout, a challenge, the ball, and field position after that sequence.

The defense had multiple chances to get off the field, but Lawrence converted each third down they faced. Jacksonville found the end zone after a 14-play, 89-yard drive that took eight minutes off the clock to take a 14-3 lead.

Brock Purdy was off on a third-down target to Jake Tonges. So, after an eight-minute drive, the defense got a minute and 35 seconds rest after a three-and-out by the 49ers offense. But Saleh’s group rose to the occasion and got a stop. On the punt, Skyy Moore was interfered with, giving San Francisco the ball at the 31-yard line.

A nifty hook and ladder call followed by a Jauan Jennings first down reception gave the offense a goal and goal situation. Purdy threw low to Jennings, and the offense settled for another field goal.

Jacksonville had a long kickoff. Dee Winters followed that up with a facemask. A Trevor Lawrence blunder saved the Niners from having to face two end zone plays. The Jaguars answered with a field goal to make the score 17-6 at the half.

Mykel Williams and Jordan Elliott combined for a stop on 3rd & 2 to begin the third quarter to force a three-and-out. Could the offense answer with a score? Purdy hit Tonges for a gain of 25 on the first play to put San Francisco into Jacksonville’s territory. On third down, Purdy connected with Jennings for a 14-yard gain to move the chains.

Christian McCaffrey caught a shovel pass. Jauan Jennings took a big hit on the two-point conversion, but held on. Those scores made it 17-6.

The 49ers had an opportunity to get off the field once more, but Upton Stout was flagged for defensive pass interference on a ticky-tack call. That was a game-changing call. The defense ended up getting a stop, but they would not get optimal field position. Instead, Purdy’s pass was tipped and intercepted, giving Jacksonville another short field.

Purdy’s second interception meant he would be the first 49ers quarterback with three straight games of multiple interceptions since JT O’Sullivan did in 2008.

Fred Warner broke the franchise record for forced fumbles on the ensuing drive. His 17th is one more than Patrick Willis’s. It came on third down, but the Niners were unable to recover it. The field goal made it 20-14.

Ricky Pearsall was questionable to return after landing on his knee. He remained on the sideline. Jennings toughed out a shoulder injury. The offense had an opportunity for a big play, but Kendrick Bourne’s drop on third down killed any momentum the Niners had gained.

Then, the special teams allowing a punt return for a touchdown felt like a backbreaker. That made it 26-14.

That was the score heading into the fourth quarter after Demarcus Robinson’s 20-yard catch put the Niners in Jaguars territory. Shanahan elected to go for it on fourth down. The offensive line gave Purdy plenty of time to scan the field. However, Purdy airmailed a throw over the middle to a wide open Robinson.

The defense forced a three-and-out, which only took 2:17 off the clock. After riding the stationary bike for the previous two series, Pearsall was back on the next series, but only for a play.

Purdy found McCaffrey on 3rd & 1 for a 29-yard gain. He then found Bourne for 17 yards on the following third down. Shanahan dialed up a screen pass to Jake Tonges at the perfect time to bring the Niners within five to make it 26-21.

In the spirit of giving, Chase Lucas committed a personal foul on special teams. After picking up a couple of first downs, Jacksonville found itself in field goal range. Penalties put them behind the chains. Jacksonville’s kick was wide right, leaving the door open for a victory if the offense scored a touchdown.

That dream was short-lived after Arik Armstead’s sack fumble. Purdy faced pressure, but also held onto the ball for close to four seconds. Good things never happen in the pocket when you do that.

Jacksonville converted on 3rd & 5 on the ensuing drive to seal the deal in what was a game full of errors on both sides. There were 17 combined penalties in the game. The 49ers had four turnovers. They also had two goal and go situations that resulted in field goals.

The 49ers’ defense did enough to compete, but they generated one pressure on 32 dropbacks. Trevor Lawrence gave them opportunities to break the interception streak, but the defense was unable to capitalize.

It didn’t feel like the 49ers deserved to win the game. They made it close, but ultimately couldn’t overcome the numerous mistakes they made in every phase of the game.