The 49ers need two things following Sunday’s prime-time game against the Dallas Cowboys:
The first and most important thing is a victory.
But a return to MVP-level play for Brock Purdy is almost as necessary.
Yes, this is a must-win game for San Francisco – you don’t lose two straight games in the first half of the season and still consider yourself a Super Bowl contender, let alone a favorite (like the Niners were recently). You can’t lose to these Cowboys – god, are they horrible – and pretend you’re good yourself.
Bottom line: A win will ensure the 49ers’ season doesn’t end until November.
But the 49ers really need Purdy to look like an MVP again to feel like they can do something this winter.
Yes, a win is a win, but tautologies aside, for the Niners, a win with Purdy playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL on Sunday would speak volumes.
Who cares if the Cowboys are one of the worst defenses in the league?
With Brandon Aiyuk out for the season, Christian McCaffrey not guaranteed to play anytime soon, Deebo Samuel just released from the hospital, an offensive line in shambles and a defense that looks vulnerable at all three levels, the Niners need of their quarterback – the future $60 million man – to lift him above the fray, whatever the circumstances.
I guess Kyle Shanahan told Purdy that when he and his quarterback huddled in the No. 13 locker after the Niners’ loss to the Chiefs. From what I could see, it was a one-sided conversation, with plenty of “yes, sir” from the former last-overall draft pick.
It’s on his shoulders.
He is capable. He is willing. But, ready or not, he must now do the job.
“I’m like, ‘Man, I have to be better for my team right now, for the Dallas Cowboys going forward.’ I’m always trying to find an edge in my game, not thinking about what next year has in store,” Purdy said Thursday. “We are trying to win this Sunday and improve our record. And that’s where my mindset is. I’m focused on my team, on this year and that’s final. That’s it.”
The Niners shouldn’t have needed this lesson, but they learned last week that, for all the complexities of the modern NFL, this league is still defined by the quality of the head coach and quarterback of a team.
So far this season, the Niners can’t pretend they’re not in a good position (last place in the NFC West).
Purdy has (generously) had his ups and downs, and Shanahan, perhaps specifically because the Niners were without McCaffrey, hasn’t demonstrated the kind of innovation and incisiveness we’ve come to expect from the ‘genius “.
Kansas City has an exceptional defense, but their offense is a mess. But they have Andy Reid – one of the greatest coaches of all time – and a quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, who will probably go down as the greatest of all time. (With apologies to Tom Brady.)
Reid was excellent against the 49ers. Mahomes was not. But this duo found a way (ways?) to decimate the Niners last Sunday. They beat an inferior team, even though they weren’t at their best.
Have the Niners done it once this season?
After leading the NFL in QBR last season (73.4 out of 100), Purdy sits in the middle of the pack this campaign.
“I think last year was one of the best years, statistically, ever, just looking at the efficiency of the offense as a whole,” Shanahan said Wednesday. “I think it’s hard to do this every year. I think when you disappeared [McCaffrey]it doesn’t help. Missing some receivers doesn’t help. But I think Brock is having a hell of a year.
If that means ups and downs, Shanahan is right. Purdy put as many bad as good plays on the board – three good plays, countered by three bad plays. There was a way in there too, for balance.
This formula cannot hold; a good match must take place on Sunday.
Because even though Purdy hasn’t gotten a lot of money yet — that money is simply reserved for the quarterback — this team was built around him. This means his game needs to improve as the talent around him diminishes. If not, is he worth that big contract? The Niners still have time to abandon this plan.
However, they don’t have the luxury of waiting a few weeks for Purdy’s next best game. Dallas can’t stop the run or pass, and they can’t move the ball on offense. They have a reliable wide receiver. I don’t care who’s out for the Niners – If #13 is the quarterback, this should be quite an adventure.
If that’s not enough — if Purdy isn’t good enough — then the Niners can start planning for next year early.
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