The 49ers enter the 2023-24 NFL season with the same questions they had last year. This year though they have different answers.
Is Brock Purdy the Answer:
The 49ers have said Brock Purdy is their guy. He avoided Tommy John surgery and will start throwing within the next week. If there are no setbacks he will have plenty of time to throw and get ready for the upcoming season.
Purdy Has Had His Issues:
When under a pass rush he did not look like the same QB. Two interceptions against the Raider's bad defense were dropped and another was caught. The Raiders played well that game but it was still a bad defense. The 49ers rushed for 170 yards which helped the passing offense.
Against a good Dallas team and defense in the playoffs, he had no touchdowns and was 19-29 for 214 yards and struggled especially in the red zone. In the only touchdown drive, Purdy completed 2 passes and the other 8 plays were runs.
Before the playoffs, Purdy went against scoring defenses that were ranked 31, 26, 25, 24, 13, 7. They had a combined record of 44-57-1. The highest-rated defenses were Washington and Tampa Bay who both were not very good teams especially offensively. Purdy threw for 234 and 185 yards respectively with 4 scores and 1 interception.
The NFC West was also a bad division. During that span, the only two winning teams they played were Seattle and Miami who both were 9-8 and struggled on defense.
Backup Plan:
Don’t think for a second the 49ers don’t know these things. Purdy is still not guaranteed to be the answer. All off-season Trey Lance said no way is he leaving San Francisco and it’s safe to say someone told him that. Some may say his value is lessened by his injury but no way are the 49ers going anywhere if Sam Darnold plays.
Purdy may show himself to be the man and will get the nod to start the season if healthy but he still has a lot to prove. Lance is healthy again and worked out with Patrick Mahomes and is ready to go. It will be another interesting year in the bay area, especially at quarterback.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/gamelog/_/id/4361741/brock-purdy
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