The 49ers lost one more game, extending their loss margin to three, and quarterback Brock Purdy will be at the center of national criticism until he takes the field again in two weeks.
On Monday morning’s ESPN’s “First Take,” Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe and Dan Orlovsky debated whether San Francisco has a quarterback problem, and that’s exactly what happened.
“Everything you just said is a quarterback issue. The fact of the matter is, if you have a quarterback who has to compete with Joe Burrow and he can’t answer the call, it’s the quarterback’s problem. That’s a problem,” Smith argued. “got it [George] Kittle gained 149 yards receiving. [Brandon] Aiyuk had 109 receiving yards. Purdy threw for 365 yards. From a statistical perspective, today looks like a pretty good day.
“But let me throw this at you: In games where they’re tied or led in the second half, Purdy has caught two touchdown passes. [and] He had seven interceptions. we need to consider that. ”
San Francisco wide receiver Deebo Samuel has missed the last two games while recovering from a shoulder injury, and the 49ers’ once-dominant offense has felt his absence.
Another blow to the offensive line is the absence of star left tackle Trent Williams, who also missed the past two games against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 7 and Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8. ing.
But Smith believes Purdy, as the team’s leader, needs to recognize that and find a way to step up in his team’s absence. And he doesn’t think missing one of the 49ers’ many offensive weapons should have such a big impact on Purdy and the team.
“With Devo, he completed 71 percent of his passes, eight touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a passer rating of 121. Without Devo, he completed 65 percent of his passes, four TD passes, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 82.7. That’s a significant drop of nearly 40 percent,” Smith said. “What I want to say to you is that I understand that Purdy can play. I don’t want you to interpret that my brother can’t play or that he doesn’t deserve to be the starting quarterback.
“But when you see one man gone, you’re done.” [Brandon] Aiyuk, you earned it. [Christian] McCaffrey and you got it. [George] Kittle and you got Kyle Shanahan and you had a problem with one of them leaving? you have a problem. sorry. How good does a quarterback need to be? There are a lot of quarterbacks in the league who don’t have the complementary pieces I just highlighted. they manage. If you’re Brock Purdy, you’ve got to find a way to step up. ”
Smith has made it clear he believes Purdy will find a way to step up, and the 49ers haven’t lost any faith in their quarterback. However, they admit there are issues that need to be resolved before they play the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 12. It’s just not a quarterback issue in their eyes.
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