Purdy commits three turnovers in first loss

SANTA CLARA – Brock Purdy pounded his right fist into the turf at Levi’s Stadium midfield logo, having just been stripped of the ball for the 49ers’  fourth and most fateful turnover Sunday.

That essentially sealed their first loss of the season: 26-21 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“I was mad over everything: the opportunity we had right there to get back in the game, and what we had done all day — and myself — with the ball. It’s frustrating,” said Purdy, who missed the previous two games with a toe injury.

The 49ers (3-1) won their first three games with four-quarter heroics. They bumbled away this one with four quarters full of mistakes, the most damning of which were turnovers, including two interceptions off Purdy and then his fumble amid a collapsing pocket with 2 minutes, 47 seconds left.

Their defense, in the wake of Nick Bosa’s season-ending knee injury last Sunday, allowed explosive runs and monotonously failed to pressure Trevor Lawrence. The Jaguars allowed no sacks, no quarterback hits, and, most of all, no takeaways.

Even the 49ers’ special teams helped thwart a second-half comeback, with Parker Washington scoring on an 87-yard punt return for a 26-14 Jaguars lead 2:22 before the fourth quarter.

“We made a bunch of mistakes all over the field and still had a chance to win,” running back Christian McCaffrey said. “A lot of these mistakes are super uncharacteristic. We have to look ourselves in the mirror and move on because it’s a quick turnaround.”

Next up is the 49ers’ only Thursday game this season: a 5:15 p.m. date against the defending NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.

The Jaguars (3-1) savored their first win in three all-time Bay Area visits. Their players helped separate coach Liam Coen from a postgame confrontation with 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who on Thursday noted how adept the Jaguars are at legally stealing opponents’ signals.

Coach Kyle Shanahan shrugged off that scene, saying Coen should not be so sensitive. Shanahan has more pressing concerns.

The 49ers defense has no interceptions this season, marking an 11-game drought dating back to last season’s woeful finish.

Offensively, Purdy’s passes bounced off hands everywhere, including on both interceptions. He was 22-of-38 for 309 yards with two touchdown passes and the two interceptions.

“Myself included, we had a lot of drops for him, too,” McCaffrey said. “When we have those plays, it can be put on the quarterback but he did a great job out there.”

The first interception came when McCaffrey bobbled an over-the-shoulder attempt that Devin Lloyd picked off at the Jaguars’ 22-yard line. It was only in the second quarter, but Jacksonville converted it into a 4-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to Hunter Long for a 14-3 lead.

On the 49ers’ previous possession, former Jaguars tight end Luke Farrell fumbled a catch near midfield, and the Jaguars scored on the next play with Travis Etienne’s 48-yard touchdown run putting them ahead 7-3.

The 49ers would trail the rest of the way. It didn’t help that two red zone drives in the first half produced chip-shot field goals from Eddy Pineiro (26 and 23 yards).

And yet a comeback seemed possible into the fourth quarter, especially once Purdy engineered a 92-yard touchdown drive with 7:41 remaining. He completed 5-of-6 passes for 75 yards on that drive which Jake Tonges capped with a 21-yard catch-and-run score. Purdy had converted third-down passes to McCaffrey (29 yards) and Kendrick Bourne (17 yards) before an 11-yard completion to Kyle Juszczyk and then Tonges’ touchdown.

Momentum stayed on the 49ers’ side as Jaguars’ Cam Little missed a 47-yard field-goal attempt with 3 ½ minutes to go.

Then came the 49ers’ last drive. Purdy threw for an 11th and final time to McCaffrey, and a 13-yard completion got them to midfield. One snap later, right guard Dominick Puni and center Jake Brendel caved to the Jaguars’ pass rush. Former 49ers mainstay Arik Armstead poked the ball from Purdy’s grasp, Lloyd decked Purdy from behind, and Foyesade Oluokun recovered the loose ball.

“It’s a day I’ll remember always, especially in my career,” said Armstead, the 49ers’ 2015 first-round pick who was released in March 2023 upon refusing a pay cut. “There’s gonna be certain games I’ll forget about, obviously playing a lot of football, but this won’t be one of those.”

Armstead got the Jaguars’ ceremonial game ball. Meanwhile, the 49ers’ four turnovers were their most since a 2023 Christmas night loss to Baltimore.

“We can’t do it. It’s the NFL. It starts with me, throwing better balls and being smart with the ball,” Purdy said. “… It hurts. It’s the NFL. If you give the ball away like that, teams will capitalize on it and the Jaguars did.”

Jacksonville’s ballhawks have secured at least three takeaways in each game this season.

McCaffrey finished with a team-high 92 receiving yards (six catches) but just 49 rushing yards (17 carries). He pulled the 49ers within 17-14 midway through the third quarter by scoring on an 8-yard shovel pass from Purdy, followed by Jauan Jennings hard-earned two-point conversion catch.

The 49ers’ best offensive play before halftime required a hook-and-lateral from Purdy to Ricky Pearsall to McCaffrey, for a 23-yard gain into the red zone, where that series ultimately ended with a 23-yard field goal from Pineiro 40 seconds before halftime. That was enough time for a 54-yard kick return to set up a 26-yard Cam Little field goal as the half ended.