San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had the worst game of his NFL career on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. He completed 12 of 27 passes for 125 yards, with one touchdown, one interception, and a passer rating of 55.3—a career-low as a starter.
While Purdy certainly could have played better, much of the poor performance can be attributed to facing the NFL's top-ranked defense.
"It wasn't what we have seen [from Purdy]," analyst Brian Baldinger told 95.7 The Game's Bonta Hill and Joe Shasky on Tuesday morning. "They flushed him from the pocket, and it got kind of cloudy in there at times, and there wasn't much separation from the receivers, so he didn't get a lot of help around him. It was his worst game. If you want to call it a stinker, you can, Joe, but everybody has one. You just hope that the guys around you can pick it up when you don't have your A-game."
A series of crucial injuries further influenced the game's outcome. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel was sidelined with a shoulder injury in the first quarter. Tackle Trent Williams played through the pain of the ankle injury he sustained in the same quarter.
"It didn't feel good at all," Williams admitted after the game. "It's football, and I just tried to fight through it for my teammates."
However, the most significant blow was losing star running back Christian McCaffrey in the third quarter due to an oblique/rib injury. That loss significantly impacted what the 49ers offense could do late in the game.
"He's the best running back in the league," Baldinger said. "So, you know, you put Jordan Mason, Elijah Mitchell, you could put all these guys they have in there; I mean, they're not Christian McCaffrey. They're just not as dangerous. They're not as slippery. They don't have the ability he has in a passing game. So they're not going to be the same offense. I mean, nobody would be without him in there."
What happens if McCaffrey has to miss some time due to the injury?
"And so, they're going to have to adjust," Baldinger said. "Maybe [WR] Deebo [Samuel] carries it more than what we have seen. That's a possibility. But they like Mitchell. They like Jordan Mason. It's their time to shine. I mean, everybody's dealing with these injuries. I don't care if you're the backup quarterback or whatever it is, everybody's dealing with it. And so, at one position or another, it's the 49ers' time to deal with it right now."
Baldinger also questioned some of head coach Kyle Shanahan's late-game decisions. Despite Purdy's efforts to position the 49ers for a potential game-winning field goal, Shanahan opted for a run play with Mason on 1st-and-10 from the Browns' 26-yard line with 45 seconds remaining, looking to set up a more favorable kick for rookie Jake Moody.
"That final drive, they could have gotten closer," Baldinger shared. "Why they decided to just run it with 40 seconds to go, it's a little bit of a shocker to me. Like, you hand off to Mason there, and I guess you're trying to center the ball for the kicker, but the out routes were there. I would have tried to get it a little bit closer. You had time."
Baldinger added, "Look, I always think that you should try to make it as easy as possible. It seemed like you had those shots to the outside, [WR Jauan] Jennings and whatnot; just get it closer. I guess that'd be my only thing. And I'm sure he probably thinks that right now, too."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Baldinger below.
