San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) hands off to San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) during the first half of an NFL football game between the San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
LAS VEGAS — Sometimes you’re the hammer, and sometimes you’re the … mail. Welcome to the final 49ers mailbag of the regular season, with a playoff berth already in the inbox:
If Brock Purdy takes the Niners all the way, will he be considered a starter next season? (@vanessa__tx)
Absolutely. To be the quarterback who delivers the 49ers’ first Super Bowl win since the 1994 season, Purdy will earn that starting role going forth. What about Trey Lance, though? Well, Lance had follow-up ankle surgery Friday, so his comeback is in flux, and while the 49ers expect him to participate in spring workouts, Purdy will have a slew of experience and a leg up, no pun intended, entering any training camp “competition.”
What’s more important and impressive: Christian McCaffrey’s or Brock Purdy’s production? (@m_cuevas__)
Both have been phenomenal in this push to the playoffs, and for perhaps many seasons to come. Purdy’s production is more of a surprise, as a rookie in a complex system who didn’t take starting reps in practice until a month ago. Without McCaffrey, however, Purdy’s job would be ridiculously harder. McCaffrey’s arrival in an Oct. 20 trade saved the 49ers’ offense, and the 49ers might even rely on him too much – as a runner, a receiver, a decoy, a savior. Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey emerged from Sunday’s game with a “mild” ankle sprain, so perhaps that entices the 49ers to stash him until the playoffs.
How was it when CMC (Christian McCaffrey) truck sticked the Raiders player? (@luiv.408)
I, too, wanted to know what McCaffrey throught of that hit he put on the Raiders’ Amik Robertson to gain an extra 15 yards on a fourth-quarter, catch-and-run to the 14-yard line. His response: “They brought an all-out blitz, so I knew I had to look a little quicker, Brock did an amazing job getting the ball off, (Daniel) Brunskill made a great block. After that, I was just kind of ‘see red’ and go get as many yards as you can.”
Where are the 49ers playing next weekend? Schedule says TBD vs. the Cards. (@ballzzee)
The 49ers will host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at 1:25 p.m., the NFL announced Monday afternoon. That kickoff time coincides with the Philadelphia Eagles’ vs. the New York Giants. If the 49ers (12-4) win and the Eagles (13-3) lose, then the 49ers clinch the NFC’s No. 1 seed. The 49ers currently are in the No. 2 spot by virtue of a better record in conference play than the Minnesota Vikings (12-4). If the 49ers lose Sunday, they would fall to the No. 3 seed only if the Vikings win at the Chicago Bears.
Are the Giants expected to rest their starters next week against the Eagles? (@paulmateo707)
A day after the Giants locked up the No. 6 seed, coach Brian Daboll wouldn’t say if he’d sit his starters or scale back their reps against the Eagles, and that they’d do “whatever we think is best for our team.” The Giants may want to keep their momentum going and spoil the Eagles’ shot at the NFC East title and No. 1 seed. Or the Giants may want to save themselves for a wild-card date, possibly against the 49ers if they drop back to the No. 3 seed.
Should we be concerned about the defensive performance against the Raiders? Was it a blueprint on how to attack our defense, or was it a blip that all great teams have? (@dhillon)
Both can be true. I indeed think the Raiders exploited the 49ers’ greatest weaknesses: iffy cornerback play by Deommodore Lenoir, busted coverages by safety Talanoa Hufanga, interior run presence, and escape hatches for mobile quarterbacks.
I think it’s time to bring in Richard Sherman. (@hightimes510)
Sherman swapped his uniform for a Prime Video analyst role this season, and even though those duties are done, it’s asking a lot for him to immediately suit up and be in playoff-game shape. He was well received by his ex-49ers teammates last month when they visited the Seahawks, however. Before that game, he addressed a potential comeback, saying on a media call: “I’m pretty much done. It would take a lot to get me out of the house. You’d end up like Eric Weddle last year: you’d get to the Super Bowl but your body’s all torn up.” Weddle unretired to serve play safety for the Rams and tore a pectoral muscle in the Super Bowl.
Were there more 49ers Faithful in the stadium than Raiders fans? (@robbiesonoma)
Easily. I estimated that 49ers fans consisted of 70 percent of the crowd, and friends of mine in the stands said that was about right. But when the Raiders rallied in the second half, their fans made enough noise to temporarily stake claim to their home.
Originally published at Cam Inman