Jaguars All-22 Review: Key Takeaways From Win vs. 49ers

No one has had a hotter start to the year than linebacker Devin Lloyd, who is playing like an All-Pro linebacker in his first year under defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile. Lloyd, a former first-round pick in 2022, has always possessed this type of potential, but it is being unlocked in a contract year where he will likely earn a major payday, in Jacksonville or elsewhere.

This was an All-Pro performance from Lloyd: eight tackles, two pressures, two interceptions. He was everywhere against the 49ers, maintaining superb discipline against the creative flow of Kyle Shanahan’s offense, displaying excellent run fits and rally to the football, and great temperament as a tackler. Lloyd was also a menace as a pass rusher, getting two quality pressures on Brock Purdy.

However, I want to take a closer look at Lloyd’s two interceptions on Purdy. Let’s dive in for a breakdown:

Interception No. 1

The Jaguars are in Cover 3 match against the 49ers in 22 personnel running a bootleg slide with a backside leak from Christian McCaffrey. Lloyd is going to play the run action before working back to the hook drop to have eyes on the tight end sitting in the void. When McCaffrey leaks out, he is slow to react, and it was a near-successful play. However, Lloyd is in the right place at the right time as “CMC” is unable to corral the ball, which is deflected into the hands of No. 0.

Interception No. 2

The 49ers come out of 12 personnel with a revert exit motion, No. 88 Jake Tonges, with a post-wheel variation off play-action from Tonges and Jauan Jennings. Jacksonville is in a Cover 3 match shell again. Once again, Lloyd is going to play the hook/curl, but reads the eyes of the quarterback, and quickly looks to the close side post from Jennings, who is open in theory. Lloyd gains depth and undercuts the post with a great read and interception of Purdy.

Travis Hunter’s impressive day in the office.

Travis Hunter had his most productive day as a wide receiver in his NFL career, so far, with three catches for 42 yards on 14 yards per reception. He’s slowly developing as a wide receiver, showcasing his elite ball skills and run-after-catch ability that made him such a high-end offensive playmaker. The route running and high-pointing were on display on this 3rd-and-15 play, deep into negative territory.

The Jaguars are running dagger (Parker Washington on the “dagger” or dig, Hunter on the go) to the far side with a backside dig from Brian Thomas Jr. Lawrence identifies the quarters (Cover 4) coverage from the 49ers pre-snap. As head coach Liam Coen explained on Monday , this is an alert play where Hunter is supposed to attack the nearest high safety. However, the key here is that the league’s best linebacker, Fred Warner, has a deeper drop to the hook shell or high hole area of the field.

This means quarterback Trevor Lawrence is going to have to trust Hunter to high-point for this catch because he’ll have to lay the pass over the head of Warner to avoid an interception. He does an excellent job climbing the pocket and throwing with high-end accuracy downfield to Hunter, who attacks the nearest high safety in quarters to make an unbelievable grab at the catch point.

Jaguars run game shines vs. 49ers

Don’t listen to what fans of the opposition said about the 49ers' defense: they were dominated in the run game, as Travis Etienne and the Jaguars rushed for 151 total yards.

It was a phenomenal display of discipline and power on the ground, with offensive lineman reaching their landmarks and succeeding in their responsibilities on crack toss, wham, duo, off tackle zone, inside zone, and counter. Etienne was excellent after a lowly game against the Houston Texans a week ago, running for 124 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

Etienne is a whole new player than he was the last few years. He’s finally healthy but he’s seeing the field better, making improved decisions as a ball carrier, showing off a level of explosiveness we haven’t seen since his college days, and more patience as a ball carrier. If anything this is what Etienne was supposed to be from his days at Clemson, and Coen’s run game is beaming with confidence because of this.

What should also boost the confidence of the run game is the blocking from the skill players. Whether it is the tight ends of Brenton Strange and Hunter Long or the wide receivers, this is why teams have such successful run games in places like Baltimore, Detroit, or Los Angeles.

Look at Hunter on the perimeter for this play– despite his smaller frame, he still gets after it with technique, temperament, and aggression at the point of attack, and it's plays like this that get young wideouts or any on the field consistently.

The same goes for Thomas and Strange: look at how they seal off their respective defenders on this stretch play to the close side of the field. This springs Etienne for his 48-yard touchdown run in the first half, setting the tone for the rest of the game.

The Jaguars made it clear: if you can block as a wide receiver, you’ll see the field. That should be made clear for any wideout, old or new, across the league and all levels of the sport. With how the run game has evolved in the last five years, having quality perimeter blockers at a valuable position such as wideout makes the rest of your run game better.

Quick-hitting takeaways

• Trevor Lawrence had his most efficient game as a passer under Liam Coen to date. The film translates with the analytics in this one, showcasing a passer who made good decisions with the ball, putting his wide receivers in advantageous situations with accuracy on all three levels, with the Hunter play being a great example. These numbers look good, according to NFL Pro: +0.5% completion percentage over expected (CPOE), +5.0 EPA, +0.15 EPA per dropback, and his average time to throw (TTT) was 2.63 – all top marks four games into the year.

• The same can be said for the embattled Brian Thomas Jr. The second-year wideout had five receptions for 49 yards, but he was efficient at the catch point and displayed a level of confidence in all facets that I had not seen on tape this season. Like Lawrence, he had his best day in key analytical categories such as catch percentage, CROE, and EPA per reception. A big day could be coming soon for No. 7.

• Arik Armstead, please stand up. What a day he had for the Jaguars in his homecoming to Santa Clara with three pressures and the game-clinching strip sack in the fourth quarter. Armstead was winning with consistent power and explosion, bench-pressing both Conner Colby and Dominick Puni, a great starter. To the fans who did not see Armstead as a great player last year, most of that defense wasn’t under Ryan Nielsen. Anthony Campanile has lit a fire under these guys and turned them into quality playmakers.