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Quarterback Brock Purdy is one of the eight 49ers’ captains.
On Saturday, he shared his perspective in front of the entire team as the 49ers were looking to snap a three-game losing streak, including blowout losses at Green Bay and Buffalo.
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“I was just trying to keep it real and remind guys this isn't easy,” Purdy said following the 49ers’ 38-13 win over the Chicago Bears.
“This job isn't for everybody. But who we have in this building, we have what it takes. And we've shown that the last couple years, and we’ve just got to dig deep and find ourselves. And I think we did. I think guys responded to it.”
Since the end of the 2022 season, it’s been clear to anyone paying attention that Purdy had what it takes to be the long-term answer at quarterback for the 49ers.
But, yes, he probably needed a game like Sunday to erase the bad taste of a 94-yard game against Buffalo. Now, he must produce again on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams if the 49ers are going to stick around in the playoff hunt for at least another week.
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The topic of Purdy leads off this edition of 49ers overreactions with a big assist to our followers on Bluesky:
Glad to see Purdy justify our faith in him, but they have put themselves in too deep a hole — @goodpapajamma.bsky.social
Overreaction? No.
You can find out a lot about a person when things are not going well.
Purdy’s numbers are far below the standard he set during his first full season as an NFL starter. But it seems as if he has only solidified his status as the team’s quarterback for the foreseeable future.
On Saturday night, coach Kyle Shanahan asked Purdy to speak to the team. It sounds as if he hit all the chords, and then he delivered on the field against the Bears.
Purdy turns 25 in a couple of weeks, and he will be due for a big contract in the offseason.
He will have to play lights-out football in the final four games of the season in order for the 49ers to remain in contention.
Those division losses to Los Angeles, Arizona and Seattle likely will keep the 49ers out of the postseason. But there is little doubt San Francisco will rely on Purdy to give it another try next season and in future seasons.
The game against Chicago proves Shanahan was asleep at the wheel this year. — @luvthyneighbor.bsky.social
Overreaction? No idea.
I’m not sure what this means, but ...
The 49ers have not lived up to expectations in any area this season — for a variety of reasons.
So, yes, Shanahan has to accept his portion of the blame for the team’s inability to close out wins in their three NFC West losses.
The 49ers’ offense looked good on Sunday in the first half of their 38-13 victory over the woeful Chicago Bears. San Francisco rolled up 319 yards of total offense and scored 24 points before halftime.
But I’m not sure that their strong showing against a bad team proves that Shanahan was nodding off on the sideline during the 49ers’ first 12 games.
Shanahan runs the offense, and the offense was not as good this season as it was a year ago. It might have something to do with Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel combining for 40 touchdowns last year and just two this season.
Believe it or not, only three teams have moved the ball as well as the 49ers’ offense this season. Despite all their issues, the 49ers still rank fourth in the NFL at 378.5 total yards per game.
Of course, they are not nearly as good as a year ago at turning those yards into points. They averaged 23.7 in their first 13 games this season, compared to 28.9 in 2023.
It is clear that what worked for the 49ers in 2023 has largely not been available to the offense this season.
Kyle would have won a Super Bowl by now if he used Kittle more as a pass catcher — @evansowards.bsky.social
Overreaction? In theory, no, but. . .
George Kittle is an all-timer, no doubt.
He is averaging 72.7 receiving yards per game, which is his highest number since 2020. He is the only star player on the team whose production has not dropped off from last season.
In the 49ers’ two Super Bowl losses to the Kansas City Chiefs, Kittle had a total of six catches for 40 yards.
But there’s a lot more to that story.
In February, Kittle was targeted just three times and caught two passes for 4 yards in the 49ers’ overtime loss in the Super Bowl.
Ordinarily, he would have played every snap. But he had to leave the field for treatment and ended up sitting out 12 snaps. He was battling a core-muscle injury that required surgery, a torn ligament in his big toe, a broken rib and a shoulder sprain.
Kittle was nowhere near healthy, and it showed.
Back in February 2020, the 49ers tried to get the ball to Kittle in the first Super Bowl matchup against Kansas City. He was targeted eight times, including a key 42-yard reception near the end of the first half that was nullified when he was called for offensive pass interference.
In the fourth quarter, at a time when the 49ers needed a first down while leading by three points, Jimmy Garoppolo had Kittle open on a key play with 5:30 minutes remaining. However, Kansas City defensive tackle Chris Jones swatted the pass down at the line of scrimmage and the 49ers were forced to punt.
Regardless of his health or how much the 49ers tried, if Kittle had caught more passes and gained more yards, yes, the 49ers probably would have won both of those games.
Jaylon Moore should be re-signed and given a chance to start next season. — @andrewh49.bsky.social
Overreaction? No.
The 49ers will attempt to re-sign Moore. And in order to re-sign him, they might have to promise him an opening to compete for a starting job.
But the way Moore has performed in his three starts in place of injured Trent Williams, he might find a bigger contract and a better opportunity with another team.
Almost every team around the NFL is looking for help at offensive tackle, and Moore is making a good case for a nice contract via unrestricted free agency in March.
The training staff needs to be cleared out, period. The amount of injuries in the Shanahan era is unacceptable — @controversycow.bsky.social
Overreaction? Yes.
We’ve been down this road before. Major changes were made after the 2018 season as the 49ers reorganized their athletic training and strength and conditioning departments.
But let’s also understand the realities in this ultra-physical sport.
There are three categories of football players: Those who have been injured; those who are currently injured; and those who will be injured in the future.
In other words, it’s part of the game and every team deals with injuries.
I seriously doubt the 49ers are doing anything different from the other 31 teams in the league when it comes to training, conditioning, recovery and treatment. A lot of it comes down to good and bad fortune.
The 49ers made it through 2023 in better shape than most teams. This year, they’ve probably been impacted more than most.
Perhaps, it also has something to do with the 49ers being victims of their own successes. Playing nine playoff games over the three previous seasons probably was not great for the physical health of the team.
Niners could make a run if no more people get hurt — @mrmartinoakland.bsky.social
Overreaction? Yes.
We’re not ready to go there, yet.
In the next game or two, the 49ers could get Dre Greenlaw, Nick Bosa and Trent Williams back on the field.
But it might be that it’s already too late to turn their season around.
The Seattle Seahawks lead the NFC West with an 8-5 record. The 49ers are 6-7.
Seattle’s final four games are at home against Green Bay and Minnesota, and on the road at Chicago and the Los Angeles Rams.
Meanwhile, the 49ers face the Rams at home on Thursday, followed by at Miami, home against Detroit and at Arizona.
Let’s talk again if the 49ers close to within a game after this week with a win against the Rams and a Seattle loss to the Packers.