Neither Brock Purdy nor Sam Darnold provided the answer for the San Francisco 49ers on Christmas Night.
Purdy and Darnold combined for five interceptions as the Baltimore Ravens flew by the 49ers 33-19 on “Monday Night Football” for Week 16. Once looking like the top team in the NFL, the Ravens looked the part instead of the 49ers for four quarters.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t sound like he’s ready to bench Purdy and not overly concerned by Darnold’s late-game collapse. San Francisco doesn’t have much beyond those two with third-stringer Brandon Allen, who has 15 games of experience since 2019.
“Oh, Brock, he’ll bounce back, ” Shanahan told reporters on Monday. “He’ll be in there … looking at the film. He’ll come to Wednesday ready to go. Hopefully his stinger clears up, which I expect it to. Our whole team will bounce back.”
Brock Purdy was forced from the game after this hit. Sam Darnold is in at QB for the #49ers.
Purdy took a hit late in the game and didn’t return. He finished with a 42.6 quarterback rating amid 255 yards passing and four interceptions as he completed 56.2% of his passes.
Darnold looked strong at first in relief of Purdy and posted 81 yards passing and a touchdown versus an interception — a 67.9 quarterback rating. The 49ers couldn’t rally behind Darnold as he failed to come up with a second touchdown inside the Ravens 10-yard line in the fourth quarter.
“I thought he came in and did a good job,” Shanahan said. “Real good job, led us to a touchdown there. Wish we would’ve scored again there at the end.”
Kyle Shanahan Defends Sam Darnold
Darnold had a chance to pull the 49ers within a score of the Ravens after the only successful drive of the second half. Amid his failed comeback attempt, Shanahan emphasized the circumstances beyond his control.
“He was in a tough situation there with some of the two-minute stuff,” Shanahan added. “Some of the guys who were, just in-and-out with some of the receivers, the O-Line, just some of the injuries and substitutions we had.”
The Niners had a plethora of offensive line changes because of injuries to Trent Williams (groin), Jaylon Moore (concussion), and Aaron Banks (toe). In addition, the Ravens’ front seven had its way all night amid four sacks.
“But he had good command, and I didn’t see what happened at the end,” Shanahan said about Darnold. “I was looking down the field. I don’t know what happened on the [last] sack, so I’ll review. But I was happy with Sam.”
Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey Fall Back in the MVP Race
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson took a decisive edge in the MVP race as Purdy and 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey couldn’t elevate their team. McCaffrey provided a spark at times plus a touchdown, but he couldn’t take enough pressure off of Purdy, who had his worst game as a pro.
Purdy had a strong start through Week 15 with 3,795 yards passing for 29 touchdowns versus seven interceptions. His dismal performance on Monday won’t help his MVP chances, but Purdy can still help the 49ers lock up the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and make a postseason run.
As for McCaffrey, he finished with 103 yards rushing and a touchdown on 14 carries plus six catches for 28 yards. He simply couldn’t turn the tide for the 49ers in the loss.
Jackson meanwhile shredded the 49ers defense on 23-35 passing for 252 yards and two touchdowns plus 45 yards rushing on seven carries.
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Kyle Shanahan Addresses 49ers Quarterback Plans