The Biggest Silver Lining from the 49ers' Loss to the Jaguars

On to the next one.

Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers were unable to maintain their undefeated record after falling short to the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-21.

The performance was a tough loss to swallow. There’s no sugarcoating a game filled with missed opportunities, but the defining moment came with the forced fumble on a potential game-winning drive, especially when the odds were already stacked against a victory.

Special teams also faltered, allowing an 87-yard punt return, which underscored how little progress was made throughout the contest. There weren't many positive takeaways from that encounter.

With Rams on Thursday night, the 49ers discuss how they will bounce back quickly

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23). / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

There's simply no time to dwell on that performance. It's paramount to move forward and look ahead to the next game.

The next challenge for the 49ers comes against NFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, who hold the same 3-1 record. With high stakes and a fierce rivalry on the line, this game could be pivotal for the season.

Running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Kendrick Bourne shared how they plan to bounce back from the 26-21 loss to the Jaguars.

Both McCaffrey and Bourne struggled on Sunday, with McCaffrey gaining just 2.9 yards per carry and fumbling, and Bourne dropping what could have been a pivotal reception from Brock Purdy.

"I think just move on. I think we lost today. We didn't play good enough," McCaffrey told reporters post-match.

"We made a bunch of mistakes and still had a chance to win. With an early game coming up, you just correct the mistakes. A lot of mistakes are super uncharacteristic.

"We have to look at ourselves in the mirror and just move on because it's a quick turnaround. It was a bad game all around. We're excited to move on from it."

Bourne highlighted that despite the errors, the team was still competitive and could have been defeated by a much larger deficit.

Jul 23, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (84) makes a catch during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

"This would've been a good one to get. You can't expect to win with four turnovers," he added.

"We were still in the game. We should have been blown out. Going into this week, it's a quick turnaround, so hopefully we can get this feeling out quick.

"I'm not going to dwell on it too much, but I'm going to watch the tape, learn from it and try to attack on Thursday, and try to get rid of this feeling."

The turnaround to the encounter in Los Angeles is quick. The 49ers must put this performance behind them immediately.

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