SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ Make that 4-0 for Jimmy Garoppolo & Co.
The 49ers let a 16-0 lead evaporate by halftime Sunday, but for the fourth time in his four starts, Garoppolo pulled off a second-half comeback, helped in large part by the 49ers defense's three interceptions.
After the AFC South-winning Jaguars went up 19-16, the 49ers went on a 21-point spree and produced their fourth straight win, a 44-33 upset in their home finale.
As the 49ers (5-10) pulled away in the fourth quarter, Garoppolo drew chants from ecstatic fans, and whether they were yelling "MVP" or "Jimmy G," that tells how much the quarterback has meant to the franchise's late-season turnaround. Their four-game win streak is the league's longest entering Week 17.
The 49ers wrap up their first season under coach Kyle Shanahan next Sunday in Los Angeles against the Rams, who've won their first NFC West title since 2003.
The Jaguars (10-5) were trailing 7-0 Sunday when they actually clinched the AFC South _ their first division title since 1999 _ by virtue of the Tennessee Titans' loss to the Rams. This was the Jaguars' ninth straight loss in West Coast games, in which they're 2-12 all-time.
With the loss, the Patriots have secured the top seed in the AFC and a first round bye.
Interceptions by K'Wuan Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon were parlayed into second-half touchdowns by the 49ers. Blake Bortles foreshadowed that breakdown when he had a second-quarter pass intercepted by Dontae Johnson and returned 50 yards for a touchdown and 16-0 lead.
Matt Breida's 30-yard touchdown run, on a third-and-8 pitch, sent the 49ers over the 40-point mark against a defense allowing a league-low 16.1 points per game through Week 15.
