Jaguars Up-Down drill: Ball security a big issue vs. San Francisco 49ers

Taking a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from the Jaguars’ 34-3 loss Sunday to the San Francisco 49ers at EverBank Stadium.

Up: Remembering Hayden

Before Jaguars’ outside linebacker Josh Allen addressed any questions about the game, he made certain that former teammate D.J. Hayden — a passenger who was tragically killed in a car accident Friday in Houston — was publicly acknowledged by saying: “First and foremost, I want to give my condolences to D.J. Hayden’s family, the tragedy that happened to him. We hate to see it.” That gesture was a reminder that no game outcome is more important than the grief endured by Hayden’s family, friends and former teammates. A hat tip to Allen for making sure Hayden wasn’t forgotten.

Down: Trevor tumble

It can no longer be ignored that hyped quarterback Trevor Lawrence continues to underperform, committing three turnovers with two interceptions and a fumble that were big factors in the Jaguars’ season-low output of 221 yards. That brings Lawrence to 10 turnovers for the season, one more than the amount of his touchdown passes. The expectation that the 2021 No. 1 Draft pick would take his game to a higher level in his third season is something the Jaguars and fans are still waiting on.

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Down: Homefield disadvantage

What's up with the Jaguars looking far more comfortable playing away from Duval County than within the 904? After going 6-2 last season (playoffs included) at EverBank Stadium, the Jaguars have dropped three of four in 2023 at their Jacksonville venue. They failed to score a touchdown against the 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, while getting thumped 37-17 in another ugly loss to the Houston Texans. Another home defeat next week to the Tennessee Titans will have Jaguars’ fans wondering if their status as AFC South favorite should be rescinded.

Down: Bigsby ball security

Rookie third-round draft pick Tank Bigsby will continue to lose trust of the coaching staff unless he can start consistently hanging on to the ball. Along with three previous fumbles, Bigsby saw a short pass from Lawrence go off his hands and resulted in an interception by safety Talanoa Huganga. To be fair, Lawrence was under pressure from Nick Bosa and put too much zip on the pass, making it a harder catch for Bigsby. Still, throwing the ball to Bigsby on third-and-1 is a bit of a head-scratcher. Now that he has four turnovers on 30 touches this season, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence for the coaches to keep calling his number.

Up: Travon Walker

The stat sheet only credits the Jaguars’ outside linebacker with two quarterback hits, one pass defense and zero tackles, but he actually had one of his best days pressuring the quarterback. Walker should have been credited with a sack of Purdy when his knee touched the ground as he tried to throw the ball away. Instead of a Walker sack, Purdy was flagged for intentional grounding and the Jaguars held San Francisco to a field goal. Walker overpowered right tackle Kolton McKivitz on three different plays, including a pressure that led to the second of two sacks by linebacker Foye Oluokun, which killed a drive at midfield. Walker has only 3.5 sacks this season, but looked much better as a pass-rusher against the 49ers.

Down: Missing takeaways

While the Jaguars gave the ball away four times, the defense that led the NFL with 18 takeaways came up empty in that department for only the second time this season (Houston, Week 3). The Jaguars had only four passes defended, including one by cornerback Darious Williams, who extended his streak to nine consecutive games with at least one breakup.

Up: Powerful anthem

On Veterans Day weekend, the Jaguars get a big thumbs-up for inviting back retired U.S. Navy officer Generald Wilson to sing the National Anthem. Wilson, known as the “Praise and Worshipper” of St. Louis, got several ovations of approval during his rendition for a voice that held notes longer than the usual performer. Wilson retired from the Navy in 2010 after 21 years of honorable service.

Down: Bizarre turnover sequence

The Jaguars were threatening to cut into the 49ers’ 20-3 lead when receiver Christian Kirk fumbled at the SF 5 trying to make extra yards after a catch. The ball popped loose on a hit by linebacker Dre Greenlaw, which Ambry Thomas fell on and got up and ran 95 yards for a touchdown. But the return was nullified on a penalty for 49ers’ players on the sideline stepping on the field during the return. It didn’t matter because Purdy marched his team 81 yards for a touchdown on a Deebo Samuel 23-yard reverse, the first time this season the Jaguars’ defense allowed a touchdown after a turnover by the offense.

Down: Playing uphill

During the Jaguars’ five-game winning streak, one of the reasons for their success was they rarely played from behind, only trailing 3-0 for seven minutes, 10 seconds of a 37-20 home victory over the Indianapolis Colts. On Sunday, the Jaguars trailed for the last 56 minutes, 34 seconds, the longest amount of time trailing in any game since they were down for 58 minutes, 32 seconds in a 31-30 AFC wild-card playoff comeback win against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Up: D'Ernest Johnson cameo

The veteran running back made the most of his limited opportunities, touching the ball six times for 40 yards and also had the Jaguars' longest run, 17 yards, nullified by a Walker Little holding penalty on the team's lone scoring drive. Johnson came right back after that flag to catch a short pass for a 15-yard pickup that moved the chains. He also had a 5-yard run to get the Jaguars to third-and-1 before Lawrence's pass went off Bigsby's hands for an interception. Johnson only had 12 touches the entire season before Sunday. He should get more chances to lighten the load on Travis Etienne.

Down: Trickery doesn't work either

With the Jaguars trailing 10-0 and a first down at the SF 41, offensive coordinator Press Taylor dialed up some trickery to spark the offense. A double reverse pass, from Evan Engram to Christian Kirk, who then looked downfield and spotted an open Travis Etienne. Unfortunately, Kirk's pass led Etienne a little too much. Not only did the Jaguars' running back not get to the ball, but he took a big hit from 49ers' cornerback Charvarius Ward that was clear helmet-to-helmet contact and it didn't get flagged. It was that kind of day for the Jaguars' struggling offense.

Down: AFC playoff position

The Jaguars’ loss prevented them from moving up to a No. 2 seed position in the AFC playoff race behind the Kansas City Chiefs (7-2). As things stand now, the 6-3 Jaguars have the same record as the Miami Dolphins, the AFC East leader. Since the Jaguars and Dolphins don’t play each other and own the same 4-2 record within conference, the next tiebreaker is games against common opponents. The Jaguars are 1-1 against the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, compared to 0-2 for the Dolphins. That puts the Jaguars in the No. 3 seed position ahead of Miami, but still behind the Baltimore Ravens (7-3). But the Jaguars’ lead in the AFC South race is down to a one-game difference with the Houston Texans (5-4), who could move into first place if they beat the Jaguars in two weeks at NRG Stadium.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars Up-Down drill: More down than up vs. 49ers