San Francisco 49ers' Christian McCaffrey #23 gains yardage in the fourth quarter of their NFL game against the Miami Dolphins at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Dec.4, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
SANTA CLARA — The shock has worn off by now.
Judging from how long coach Kyle Shanahan took to reach the podium and address the media after a 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins Sunday and the number of 49ers who had cleared out from the locker room after a big win, go ahead and assume the shock factor was considerable.
By halftime, pretty much everyone knew Jimmy Garoppolo was done for the season. The 49ers’ life preserver after the loss of Trey Lance departed with bones in his foot shattered on the opening drive. The extent of the injury wasn’t clear until players saw Garoppolo in the training room with a half still to play.
“Football is a very unforgiving sport, no matter how hard you work at it or the time you put into it,” tight end George Kittle said. “It just kind of bites you sometimes.”
The 49ers rallied around Brock Purdy, the seventh-round draft pick from Iowa State. Purdy directed a two-minute drill for a touchdown and a 17-10 halftime lead. The 49ers (8-4) beat Miami (8-4) and continue to show resilience.
Based on the play of their defense, the 49ers are still playoff contenders. No one should be surprised if they win the NFC West. If there’s an advantage to the way coach Kyle Shanahan does things, it’s that the quarterback is not the central figure as much as it pains the legacy of a franchise that put Joe Montana and Steve Young in the Hall of Fame.
But before you start worrying about pitting Purdy against the likes of Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts, the 49ers still have to get to the postseason.
As you’d expect, the 49ers threw their support behind Purdy in the aftermath of Garoppolo’s injury.
“Man, he plays with a lot of confidence,” running back Christian McCaffrey said. “Came in, made some big plays.”
Defensive players talked up Purdy’s play against their unit while operating as scout team quarterback. Cited his moxie and confidence. And there was evidence of those qualities against Miami.
Those defenders know it’s up to them to carry the torch. As good as the 49ers’ defense has been, it must be even better now. But where the slack really needs to be pulled with Purdy at the helm is on offense.
“When you lose a starting quarterback, it puts more of a load on everybody,” fullback Kyle Juszczyk said. “I think we have to step it up more in that area and I think we have the guys to do it. We’re ready for that challenge.”
McCaffrey agreed.
“I think I’ve got to make more plays for him,” McCaffrey said. “When something like that happens, it’s on us to step up.”
Let’s face it. Even under Garoppolo, the 49ers on offense haven’t ascended to the sum of their parts. In order to make sure Purdy isn’t put in positions where turnovers are prevalent, a look at some offensive players who need to take a step beyond what they’ve already done:
WR Deebo Samuel
Samuel played through a thigh contusion and made some plays when it mattered. he finished with six catches for 58 yards and four rushes for five yards. Purdy was fine throwing to Samuel in traffic so there seem to be no issues regarding trust.
As encouraging as it was, 10 touches for 63 yards isn’t anything near the performance that got Samuel a huge contract extension. Health permitting, he’s capable of more and Shanahan has to find ways to put him in those situations.
RB Christian McCaffrey
McCaffrey had 25 touches for 146 yards and a touchdown. But it was slow going in the run game until a late 30-yard run that helped the 49ers put the game away. He finished with 17 rushes for 66 yards and eight receptions for 80 yards.
After McCaffrey’s first full-time game against the Rams, it’s been a struggle on the ground. He’s gained 175 yards on 49 carries in the last four games — an average of 3.6 yards per attempt.
At present, McCaffrey looks to be doing more damage as a receiver than as a runner. There was a handful of attempts where he didn’t appear to have the burst he had upon arrival.
TE George Kittle
Shanahan said he thinks Kittle is sometimes too positive, but it’s exactly that kind of mindset that the 49ers need right now with a rookie quarterback.
Kittle had a 19-yard reception that helped get the 49ers going on Purdy’s two-minute drill before halftime. A reliable tight end can be the best friend for a rookie quarterback. Kittle was targeted only three times and caught two passes for 22 yards against Miami.
T Mike McGlinchey
McGlinchey has done well to make it this far after a limited training camp following a torn quadriceps last year.
There were instances where McGlinchey appeared to be laboring against Miami. He wasn’t mentioned in the injury report and might not be. Which doesn’t mean he’s 100 percent. At this point in the season, few are. His run-blocking skills in particular are important because the 49ers must be better in that area over the last five games.
WR Brandon Aiyuk
Aiyuk has been solid all season, getting rave reviews from Shanahan for his skill as not only a receiver but a run blocker.
Against Miami, Aiyuk had five receptions for 46 yards with a long of 23. The challenge is getting on the same page with a third quarterback. Aiyuk worked with Trey Lance in Southern California in the offseason, then re-acquainted himself with Garoppolo. Now it’s on to Purdy, who has been working with the scout team while the 49ers’ traditional No. 1 receiver has been with the first team.
Originally published at Jerry McDonald