Purdy’s Struggles Put 49ers’ Playoff Aspirations at Risk
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) – Brock Purdyand#039’s storybook journey from the last pick in the 2022 draft to the NFL’s most effective quarterback has seen very few on-field battles. That, and that’s what made his four-interception performance in one of the most anticipated games of the season so brutal.
How Purdy recovers from Monday night’s 33-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens will largely determine how successful the 49ers are this season. “I think it’s unbelievable the way he’s played the last two years,” linebacker Nick Bosa said. andquot;I was just a young rookie last year, it seems he’s immortal.
But no one is immortal. He reacted to not being at his best before and I think he will do it again.” Purdyan’s night got off to a bad start when he missed safety Kyle Hamilton and threw an interception on San Francisco’s (11-4) first drive of the game.
A deflected pass from a corner kick led to his second turnover and then a questionable decision to throw his body over the middle in a game that already had a penalty in San Francisco. He then caught a pass on the second drive of the third quarter that essentially sealed San Francisco’s fate.
“I think the fact that he’s played that long and never had a game like that is pretty unusual,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I think that’s the reality of the NFL. I’m not saying it’s definitely going to happen, but I wish he didn’t have as many options. But like I said, I think one of them was what he would really like to. . The other three were, in my opinion, deplorable.
” It was by far the worst game in Purdyand’s 23 career starts in the regular season and playoffs. He was on near-record pace this season as one of the NFL’s best rushers before the setback. But the loss need not be crushing for San Francisco.
The Niners can still clinch the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye over Washington and the Rams over the next two weeks. “It’s easy to ride high and think you’re the guy when things are going well, winning games and everything, and you don’t really see a lot of adversity in some games,” Purdy said.
“That’s the reality of the NFL.” WHAT’S WRONG Christian McCaffrey. While there were plenty of struggles Monday night, McCaffrey once again delivered. He rushed for 103 yards on 14 carries and added six catches for 28 yards. McCaffrey is tied for the NFL lead with Raheem Mostert with 21 touchdowns and leads the NFL with 1,932 yards. McCaffrey set a franchise record with eight consecutive games of at least 100 yards.
WHO NEEDS HELP Penalties. San Francisco was penalized 10 times for 102 yards, the second most of the season. Several of those offenses directly contributed to the scoring of Baltimore. Safety Tashaun Gipson was called for a facemask and pass interference on Ravensand#039; On the first TD drive, Ambry Thomas was called for fielding late in the second quarter, and kicker Mitch Wishnowsky committed a late fumble early in the third quarter that led to a TD drive that started at the San Francisco 44. STORE CB Jason Verrett.
His performance in the first game of the season was not great, but his return to the field was the most important achievement. Verrett hasn’t played a game since she tore her ACL in the first week of the 2021 season in San Francisco. He then missed all of last season with an Achilles injury and has only been able to play more than one game per season since 2017 due to a long string of injuries. He played just five snaps Monday and gave up a TD to Nelson Agholor.
IN STOCK Offensive line. The Niners lost starters Trent Williams and Aaron Banks to injuries in the second half and struggled to replace Purdy. According to Pro Football Focus, San Francisco allowed pressure on Purdy and Sam Darnold on 47% of downs.
Colton McKivitz allowed nine pressures and Spencer Burford four of 24 pass blocks while being forced to play tackle for the first time in his career. YOU ARE SOUL Shanahan had no update on the status of the three offensive linemen who left the game with injuries: Williams (groin), Banks (toe) and T Jaylon Moore (concussion). … LB Oren Burks (knee), RB Elijah Mitchell (knee) and TE Ross Dwelly (ankle) will return to practice this week. …
The statuses of DT Arik Armstead (foot, knee) and WR Jauan Jennings (concussion) are unclear this week. Key NUMBER 65.2 — Purdy’s big question is his ability to lead the team from behind. Purdy has struggled all season and it happened again on Monday night. Purdy has 37, 63, 554 yards, two TDs, five interceptions and a 65.2 passer rating when behind in the second half.
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