SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Doug Marrone didn't like it. That was clear.
When it came to the Jaguars' season-high 12 penalties Sunday that included some costly discipline-oriented infractions, the Jaguars' head coach made this clear, too.
It will be addressed. And it must get fixed.
"We have to do a better job with our composure, obviously," Marrone said Sunday in the wake of a 44-33 loss to the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium.
The Jaguars (10-5) clinched the AFC South title during the first quarter of Sunday's victory when the Los Angeles Rams beat the AFC runner-up Tennessee Titans (8-7).
They trailed 10-0 after the first quarter and 16-0 in the second, but after rallying for a 19-16, turnovers and penalties took a toll. An interception by cornerback K'Waun Williams off quarterback Blake Bortles led directly to a 49ers touchdown that gave San Francisco a 23-19 third-quarter lead.
The 49ers still led by that margin when a flurry of Jaguars penalties helped a drive that covered the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarters. Linebacker Myles Jack was penalized for taunting early on the drive, and defensive end Yannick Ngaokue was called for unsportsmanlike conduct shortly thereafter. That play turned a third-and-six situation into a first down at the Jaguars 40.
Defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. was called for holding later on the drive, which ended with 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo throwing five yards to wide receiver Trent Taylor for a 30-19 lead the 49ers never fully relinquished.
The Jaguars' penalties were for 99 yards, and defensive tackle Malik Jackson was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness.
"It's not just on one person," Marrone said. "There's too much of that. We've had this before. It's addressed and something we obviously need to do a much better job of. It starts with me. I've got to do a much better job with the players, making them understand that when you do those types of things you hurt the team.
"They understand it, but in the moment – that's what separates the good teams from the teams that make mistakes that cause you to lose games. The good teams – all of that emotion is controlled or directed the right way, to help yourself."
There were also multiple situations with Jaguars players yelling at one another on the sidelines, incidents that Marrone said didn't bother him.
"I've always been OK with the sideline stuff," Marrone said. "It's a very emotional game. The sideline situations … those things have happened throughout my career – all the time. It stays right where it is, but where I do have an issue is our composure on the field.
"The sideline stuff you're not going to get penalized for. Emotions are going to go on. That happens. That's part of the game. Controlling your emotions on the field? That affects the team and that's what we have to do a better job of."
NOTABLE I
Bortles completed 32 of 50 passes for 382 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions Sunday. Marrone afterward addressed all three interceptions, calling two miscommunications and saying that the third – a one-handed, reaching interception by Williams – was a pass that Bortles should have thrown higher to get the ball over Williams. "The only one that wasn't [miscommunication] was one where have to get it over that guy," Marrone said. "He made a good play ... good play by him."
NOTABLE II
The Jaguars can do no worse than the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. The only way they can improve to No. 2 is if they beat the Tennessee Titans in the regular-season finale next Sunday and if the Pittsburgh Steelers lose their final two games – against Houston Monday and against Cleveland next Sunday.
QUOTABLE I
"I don't really know what happened. I'm going to keep it real with you. It was crazy. He [49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo] is very good for that system. It's not like he shredded us up in the secondary. Kudos to him. He's very good for their system. They did a great job. They executed well. We knew he was good. We believe we're the best. They just got the better of us today. They did a good job."
--Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey
QUOTABLE II
"We didn't do enough. Like I told the players, it's really all three phases. It starts with me …"
--Marrone
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QUOTABLE III
"We've got to get ready. We're 2-1 in this quarter, the fourth quarter of the season. It's the one thing this team has done – they've always come back strong. I expect the same thing. I told them there would be heightened awareness and we'll look at this game, correct mistakes and go on to Nashville and play a good Tennessee team that beat us early in the year."
--Marrone
QUOTABLE IV
"We said we were going to win [the AFC South] today. We just didn't win it the way we wanted to today. It's solid, you know what I mean? The division champs took an L today. We're going to keep going. We earned that title and we're going to keep going."
--Jaguars LB Telvin Smith.
