Ex-49ers Player Blasts Team’s ‘Awful’ Showing in Week 4 Loss to Jaguars

This 49ers veteran highlighted all of the team's current issues.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13). | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers recorded their first loss of the 2025 season on Sunday in a 26–21 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

A critical fumble by Brock Purdy in the closing moments handed the Jaguars their first victory over the 49ers in two decades. It was a performance to forget in his return from the turf toe injury he suffered in Week 1.

But Purdy's performance wasn't the only issue, as this former 49er didn’t mince words when sharing his thoughts on the team’s performance.

Richard Sherman highlighted multiple problems from the 49ers' Week 4 loss

Oct 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Richard Sherman on the Thursday Night Football Tonight set at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Former cornerback Richard Sherman wasn't impressed at all with the 49ers' performance.

He viewed the defeat as a missed opportunity to extend the 49ers’ winning streak, believing that the entire offense squandered a chance to secure a win against a clearly inferior opponent.

“That was awful. Brock Purdy is back. I think if Mac Jones wasn’t hurt as badly as he was I think he starts this game. You could see the rust," Sherman said on the Richard Sherman Podcast.

"Obviously, Brock completed some really good passes, but you could see the rust. The offensive line again, he was under duress, the pockets were collapsing, but he had adequate time.

"There weren’t many holes for Christian McCaffrey to work his way through. Way, way, way, too many drops. And still they had a chance to win because they’re a really good team and Jacksonville isn’t a great team.

"To turn the ball over 4 times in any game is unacceptable. I’m sure Kyle Shanahan is gonna have his foot deep in a lot of people’s rear ends.”

To return to winning ways, consider starting Mac Jones for Week 5

Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones (10) before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

There's no time to dwell on the defeat as the 49ers face their divisional rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, on Thursday.

Despite Brock Purdy throwing two touchdowns and making some impressive plays, much of his performance was disappointing. It’s possible he’s still feeling the effects of his injury. One of his interceptions was particularly glaring, as it was thrown directly into the Jaguars’ secondary, showing an uncharacteristic lack of precision and timing.

Jones has proven to be reliable when called upon. He played at an impressive level against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2 and showed remarkable grit during the final drive in Week 3, contributing despite battling injuries.

With the quick turnaround before Week 5 and extra recovery time ahead of Week 6, this could be the smartest decision to help the 49ers get their season back on track.