On Sunday, November 12, 2023, the Jacksonville Jaguars played the San Francisco 49ers at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL. The Jaguars trailed the 49ers by 13 points at halftime and lost by a score of 34 to 3. [Florida Times-Union/Bob Self]
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence called Sunday’s effort “one of the worst games” he’s ever played and “really, really bad.” The explanation, according to the San Francisco 49ers, is their defensive game plan.
Lawrence completed 58.6 percent of his throws for 185 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a fumble on the day. His passer rating of 48.8 on the day was his lowest since his rookie season.
“The people in the rear were hiding things. “We were experimenting,” 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead explained. “Guys being sticky in coverage allowed us the extra hitch, and confusing him, and once we confused him, he was looking to scramble, and our job was to keep him in the pocket and get him down.”
“Our back end did an unreal job of mixing things up and kind of confusing Trevor,” 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa added. “I think we got more [opportunities] than we’ve had all year, by far.”
The 49ers’ defensive line finished with five sacks, tying Lawrence for the most ever in a game.
“There’s a lot of pressure on us up front to make his life difficult,” said 49ers linebacker Fred Warner. “In the back end, using our disguises and being sticky in coverage, I think that’s kind of what made it a little difficult for Lawrence.”
Lawrence noted in his postgame press conference that the 49ers had “some exotic looks” on defense, but that the Jaguars “had some answers for it.” The quarterback stated that the most of the problem stemmed from the hole the club dug for itself early on.
“We played the whole game from behind, so it changes your whole plan at that point,” he remarked. “When you get into the third quarter and you’re down that much because you haven’t got anything going, we’ve had so many three-and-outs, second-and-longs, third-and-longs, you don’t get to play the game the way you want to because it’s not the same circumstances.”
The Jaguars’ 31-point loss was their worst lopsided since signing Doug Pederson before the 2022 season.
