CLEVELAND — Brock Purdy had the worst statistical game of his NFL career in the 49ers' 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns, but the quarterback will use it as a learning experience.
“It’s the NFL,” Purdy said after the game. “You get opportunities, and you’ve got to take advantage of them. There were definitely some throws and opportunities that I feel like got away from me and I missed on them. That made us get behind the sticks and which is tough on the road here, and it’s something I got to learn from.
“Definitely going to be real about it. We all got to look at ourselves in the mirror and see the flaws and stuff, and you got to get better from it. But it starts with me."
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Purdy finished the game completing only 12 of 27 pass attempts for 125 yards, one touchdown and one interception. That gave him a 55.3 rating, the lowest of his NFL career.
The 49ers' offensive line was overcome by the Browns' defense that crept into the backfield with regularity. Purdy often was pressured in the pocket and was sacked three times for a loss of 18 yards. The offense as a whole could not get into a rhythm, playing behind the sticks for much of the game.
Purdy’s top target in the game was Brandon Aiyuk, who caught four of the 10 passes thrown his way for 76 yards, but their chemistry was slow to develop. They connected on just one of their six attempts in the first half.
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Through the course of the game, the 49ers lost both Deebo Samuel (shoulder) and Christian McCaffrey (oblique) to injury. Purdy and the offense needed to adjust to the altered personnel on the field, and the quarterback took the onus for not doing a better job.
Ray-Ray McCloud III stepped up in the ground game, carrying the ball twice for 23 yards and catching one of his two targets for four yards. Jauan Jennings also contributed with two catches on four targets for 26 yards, yet Purdy was still not satisfied with his connection with the two receivers.
“That’s on me, being able to help out when guys like Ray-Ray and J.J. are going to play more, and Elijah [Mitchell] coming in,” Purdy said. “I have to do a better job at just communicating to them in the huddle, giving them some sort of expectations of what’s to come, in terms of the play.
“That’s something I got to be better at. We got good players and I’m confident in whoever comes in, even if Deebo and Christian aren’t able to go, we got good players.”
There is no doubt that Purdy -- along with every player on the roster -- will be taking a hard look at the game film to make improvements going forward. The club has an extra day to prepare for their "Monday Night Football" matchup with the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium, but that also means another day with the aftermath of this loss on their minds.
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