JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- New and improved on defense, still running steady on offense, the Jacksonville Jaguars looked every bit a Super Bowl contender.

	Steve Young was frustrated all day long, completing just nine of 26 passes with two interceptions.

But were those the real San Francisco 49ers?

Looking old and worn out, the 49ers lost 41-3 Sunday in a game that might have signaled a shift of power in the NFL.

"I think they might ask what's wrong with San Francisco before they say Jacksonville's the team," said Jaguars rookie cornerback Jason Craft, who returned a fumble for a touchdown. "You've got to figure San Francisco will be back next week. They're a good team. They just got knocked off balance a little."

And that might have been the understatement of the week.

Led by new coordinator Dom Capers, the Jaguars revamped defense clamped down on 37-year-old Steve Young, who was 9-for-26 for 96 yards with two interceptions in the rain. His favorite target, 36-year-old Jerry Rice, was nearly invisible, catching two passes for 17 yards.

The 49ers, a franchise that has won three Super Bowls in the last decade, hadn't lost this badly since the New York Giants beat them 49-3 in the 1986 playoffs. It was San Francisco's worst regular-season loss since Dallas won 59-14 in 1980.

"We seemed a little helpless," Niners coach Steve Mariucci said. "There didn't seem like much we could do about it. What I told the players is that we have so much to correct, starting with me. We've got to catch better, throw better, pass-protect better, tackle better, block better, the whole thing."

GAME NOTES

Niners defensive lineman Bryant Young, who sustained what looked like a career-threatening broken leg last year, came back to start in the opener. He finished with three tackles. Thanks to late-running games in the first half of Sunday's doubleheader, the teams played the first quarter without a TV timeout. The quarter took 27 minutes. 49ers receiver Shonn Bell dislocated his shoulder. Jaguars safety Donovin Darius left late with bruised ribs. In his return from a season-ending knee injury last year, Jaguars running back James Stewart had a 1-yard touchdown run.

Missing Garrison Hearst with a broken leg, the Niners' running game was ineffective. Other than Charlie Garner's 37-yard run before halftime, San Francisco's backs didn't manage a gain of more than five yards until late in the fourth quarter. Lawrence Phillips had just eight yards before leaving the game with a concussion.

The passing game that was supposed to be San Francisco's salvation didn't look any better. Young was frazzled and jumpy all day. The Niners converted only one of 14 third downs.

As Mariucci predicted, the team wasn't fully prepared for the opener.

"Certainly, we looked rusty," Young said. "Everyone knows we haven't spent much time together in the preseason. That was done in an attempt to keep us healthy. Today, we just didn't come through for the coach."

A good part of it was due to the Jaguars, who had the biggest blowout in their five-year history.

Mark Brunell threw for 265 yards, and Mike Hollis kicked field goals of 41, 32, 50 and 42 yards to extend his streak of successful kicks to 17, a team record.

Craft, a fifth-round draft pick out of Colorado State, broke open a close game in the third quarter.

On the kickoff after Hollis' 50-yarder gave the Jaguars a 9-3 lead, Alvis Whitted knocked the ball loose from R.W. McQuarters, who watched as Craft scooped it up at the 23 and ran untouched into the end zone. Brunell scrambled for the two-point conversion to increase the lead to 17-3.

"All I was thinking was, 'Hi, Mom. Hi, Mom,' " Craft said. "It was great. I was just glad I got a chance to make a play like that in the first game of the year."

On the next drive, the 49ers moved to the Jacksonville 39, but on fourth-and-1 Young slipped as he tried to roll to his left and was tackled by Tony Brackens for a 5-yard loss.

Brunell answered by driving the Jaguars 56 yards, capping it by hitting Damon Jones for a 4-yard touchdown and a 24-3 lead. After failing to find his timing in the first half, Brunell went 9-for-11 for 142 in the third quarter as the Jaguars turned the game into a rout.

The final blow came when cornerback Aaron Beasley returned a Jeff Garcia pass 95 yards late in the fourth quarter for the 38-point margin.

"We were going against a great offense, the No. 1 offense in the league last year," Beasley said. "The weather may have affected them a little bit, but I think we did a pretty good job out there."

The Jaguars defense mixed in zone blitzes for four sacks and got surprisingly strong coverage from Beasley and Fernando Bryant, the first-round draft pick.

The 49ers' best threat came just before halftime when Garner's long run, Young's 16-yard pass to Terrell Owens and a pass-interference penalty gave them a first and goal at the 5. Two plays later, Brackens slipped into the backfield, hammered Young and forced a fumble that was recovered by Renaldo Wynn.

About the only thing missing for the Jaguars was a big run from Fred Taylor, who still finished with 24 carries for 74 yards, but didn't have a carry of more than 18 yards.