Jaguars vs. 49ers: Slay or Bomb

There’s no sugar-coating it: the Jaguars vs. 49ers game was a complete disaster for the Jaguars. Every week, I put together a group of players who “Slayed” or “Bombed”. The past month has been filled with many positive outlooks on players, especially those who struggled to start the 2023 season. But, after a terrible performance, there weren’t many slays in week ten.

In my preseason predictions article, I outlined why the Jaguars would lose this game. But, after seeing a struggling 49ers team meet a thriving Jaguars team, I switched my pick to the Jaguars in my Jaguars vs. 49ers preview article. But that didn’t go how I, or any Jaguars fan, thought it’d go. The Jaguars got thumped by the 49ers. It’s looking bleak after such a disappointing loss.

The Jaguars vs. 49ers was always going to be a tough matchup, but with the way things have unfolded, there’s a lot of confidence lost in the team. But it’s way too early to call the season, as the Jaguars are more than prepared to make a playoff push.

In the meantime, it’s important to look at the players who slayed or bombed in the Jaguars vs. 49ers week ten matchup. And unlike the past month, there will be many more bombs than slays.

Jaguars vs. 49ers: Slay

Foyesade Oluokun

Foyesade Oluokun is the Jaguars’ most important player on defense. He’s the heart and soul of the defense which can impact the run and pass. In the Jaguars vs. 49ers game, Foyesade Oluokun made an impact overshadowed by a terrible overall showing. But Oluokun is more than deserving of being in the slay section of this article.

Two sacks for Oluokun is the standout statistic, as he doesn’t have the flashy stats like sacks and interceptions that plenty of other players have. But those who watch the Jaguars every week know how much of a difference-maker Foyesade Oluokun is for the Jaguars.

Week ten featured one of the better Foyesade Oluokun performances of the season. He had a 90.4 defensive grade from PFF, which was the second-highest grade for a linebacker in week ten according to PFF. Oluokun would be the lone standout in the Jaguars vs. 49ers matchup if it weren’t for another defensive player who’s finally found their footing.

Travon Walker

Another player who is deserving of some flowers is Travon Walker. The second year outside linebacker has begun to find his groove. Walker had four total pressures in week ten against the 49ers. He had two quarterback hits and two quarterback hurries according to PFF.

The Jaguars vs. 49ers game was a great example of how Travon Walker has been positively impacting the Jaguars. While he didn’t get home for a sack, he’s still contributing to the Jaguars pass rush. With the way the season started for Walker, the performance against the 49ers is what many Jaguars fans have wanted. Walker getting pressure, and moving offensive linemen, is a fantastic start and in a dreadful game, Travon Walker stood out as a slay in the Jaguars vs. 49ers matchup.

Jaguars vs. 49ers: Bomb

Trevor Lawrence

The most important player for the Jaguars is their franchise quarterback, and Lawrence has been playing incredibly well in 2023 despite an injured offensive line and receiving corps. When Lawrence came into the Jaguars vs. 49ers game, he had a chance to begin changing the narrative around the Jaguars and his career trajectory.

Unfortunately, things fell apart completely for Lawrence.

The worst part of this performance is that it wasn’t entirely his fault. Offensive linemen getting beat and allowing pressure on Lawrence, receivers dropping passes that get picked off immediately afterward, and his receiver fumbling the ball during a drive the Jaguars desperately needed. All of those issues came up for Lawrence. But he is still deserving of blame.

One of the issues for Lawrence stems from the play calling, with a very limited offense stifling the output of the offense. Doug Pederson went through the offense drives from the Jaguars vs. 49ers game in his press conference, and the way he talks about how the Jaguars have continued to fail to execute on offense puts things into perspective. While a press conference can’t answer all questions, there’s still hope considering the head coach is acknowledging the mistakes from the offense.

Devin Lloyd

There was one play that knocked Lloyd into the bomb section. In coverage against George Kittle at the beginning of the third quarter, Lloyd fell behind and Kittle took a Brock Purdy pass 66 yards for a touchdown, putting the 49ers up 20 to 3, effectively cementing a Jaguars loss.

While I don’t want to put a ton of blame on Lloyd for one busted coverage when he’s been playing very well the past few weeks, it’s also something to mention with how things went on the day for the Jaguars. Lloyd is one of my preseason breakout candidates, and while he had one bad play against the 49ers, Lloyd is still on track to be a solid linebacker in his second NFL season.

Tank Bigsby

If there was one player that has epitomized the Jaguars season, it’s Tank Bigsby. So much hype with Bigsby before the season, so much that some believe that he could take over the backfield. While that was never going to happen, the hype for Tank Bigsby was real. The 2023 Jaguars are the same, copious amounts of hype and positive speculation.

While it’s not over for the Jaguars as a team, it’s starting to lean that way for Tank Bigsby in his rookie season. Multiple turnovers so far in his young career, paired with mistakes leading to turnovers that aren’t completely attributed to him. In the Jaguars vs. 49ers game, he had a pass bounce off his hands and right into Talanoa Hufanga’s hands.

So many mistakes for this Jaguars team, many of which can be attributed to Tank Bigsby. The Jaguars’ failure isn’t solely attributed to Bigsby, but it’s hard to ignore his missteps when the offense isn’t flowing. With a struggling offense, turning the ball over isn’t something the Jaguars can afford.

The Offensive Line (Almost Everyone)

One of the key matchups that was something to pay extra close attention to was the Jaguars offensive line against the 49ers defensive line. The 49ers had a field day. Chase Young and Nick Bosa found their way to Lawrence for a strip sack, and that one play epitomized the offensive line play for the Jaguars in week ten.

The Jaguars vs. 49ers game showcased how the Jaguars offensive line is still far from complete. Walker Little had a really tough time. He allowed three pressures, one hurry, and one quarterback hit. His performance earned a 29.2 grade from PFF, far and away the lowest of the team.

Anton Harrison also had a rough performance, allowing two pressures against a great defensive front. There is a positive here, and Harrison wasn’t completely taken advantage of even against a great pass rush.

Luke Fortner and Cam Robinson also struggled, each allowing a sack on Trevor Lawrence. It’s a massive challenge for a quarterback to pass the ball efficiently when pressured, and Lawrence was under duress plenty in the Jaguars vs. 49ers game. A total of five sacks allowed for the Jaguars ruins their chances of having a consistent offense. While not all of the sacks were on Robinson and Fortner, their role in the performance against the 49ers was a huge reason why the game went poorly.

Brandon Scherff was the best of the bunch and wasn’t nearly as notably bad as the rest of the offensive line. Probably one of the few highlights for a disappointing Jaguars performance, Scherff is finally finding his groove. But, when the entire offensive line began to crumble around him, it was hard to see Scherff positively as he sunk with the ship.

Final Thoughts on Jaguars vs. 49ers

There are a lot of things that can be taken away from this performance. The offense is struggling, the defense completely imploded against competition atop the NFL. There are continued mistakes plaguing the Jaguars, from blown coverages to mind-numbing turnovers, the Jaguars continue to shoot themselves in the foot.

A great example of this is the turnover issues for the Jaguars. They have 11 turnovers in opponents’ territory, which is most in the NFL. A mistake-riddled season for the Jaguars, and the Jaguars vs. 49ers game was a perfect encapsulation of how this Jaguars season has gone.

While things are far from over, there’s still plenty of time to rebound. But, if the Jaguars can’t figure it out soon, there will be a lot of questions being asked. Week eleven against the Titans is a must-win, especially with a red-hot Texans and C.J. Stroud right on the Jaguars tail for the division lead.

It’s a massive stretch coming up for the Jaguars, and what they do will dictate the way the Jaguars finish the season.