5 Bold Observations on Jaguars' Statement Win Over 49ers

Liam Coen made it clear on Sunday: he was the right hire for Jaguars owner Shad Khan. Pitted against runner-up for the Jaguars job in San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator and failed former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, Coen led his soldiers through the ups and downs of a tough road win. The Jaguars looked like the more physical and prepared team, and they made the fewest mistakes.

On top of that, Coen's post-game exchange with Saleh will undoubtedly play well in the Jaguars' locker room and building. Players are already buzzing about the fire and passion Coen has shown in his first four games as a head coach, and wins and moments like Sunday can only earn him more cache in the locker room.

Key adjustment made for BTJ

Brian Thomas Jr. had the most efficient game of his sophomore season on Sunday, catching five of his seven targets for 49 yards and generating +1.3 EPA. Thomas did not get his feet in bounds on one play, but otherwise had a mistake-free day and was a big piece of the Jaguars' sustaining drives throughout the day.

Did Coen and the Jaguars finally find the right role for Thomas? It is a question worth asking considering most of his down plays have come on in-breaking routes, and all but one of his targets on Sunday was an out-breaking route to the sideline. This may be what they needed to get him back rolling.

Campanile's magic continues

At this point, the Jaguars' turnovers can't be attributed to luck. The Jaguars are consistently punching out the ball and getting their hands up in passing lanes to force turnovers, and there are only eight teams since 2000 that have forced more takeaways than the Jaguars' 13 takeaways in 2025 so far.

Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile deserves the credit considering his scheme and usage of his key defenders has become the biggest reason the Jaguars went from being one of the NFL's worst defenses to one of its best in just one year's time.

Injuries stacked up

The Jaguars remained relatively healthy for the first three weeks of the season, but they left the Bay area with a host of injuries to key players, A few players, like Foye Oluokun, Antonio Johnson and Anton Harrison, went back in the game after their injuries. Not all were so lucky, though, including two key defenders.

Defensive end Travon Walker left the game in the first half and never returned. In a post-game locker room video posted by the Jaguars, he could be seen in a sling. Safety Eric Murray also left with a neck injury and did not return. These are two impact players the Jaguars will need back sooner than later.

Play of the Day

Parker Washington's big punt return is the answer this week, though Travis Etienne's touchdown run and Arik Armstead's forced fumble are up there, too.

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