The San Francisco 49ers' game plan took an unexpected turn against the Cleveland Browns when star players Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey had to exit the game. This prompted players like Jordan Mason, Jauan Jennings, and others to step up and fill the void.
For quarterback Brock Purdy, this meant taking charge of the situation in Cleveland and ensuring everyone on offense was on the same page to make up for the absences of their star players.
Both Samuel (shoulder) and McCaffrey (oblique) have not participated in practice this week, along with standout offensive lineman Trent Williams (ankle). The team is gearing up for its Week 7 showdown with the Minnesota Vikings.
This has resulted in other players receiving increased practice reps this week, a development that Purdy believes will be crucial should Samuel, McCaffrey, or Williams be forced to miss Monday night's game.
"Yeah, I think on their part, those guys will be ready, just with the reps that they've gotten going in with the operational stuff," Purdy told reporters on Friday. "And yeah, simple as that. They'll be ready. And even if Deebo and Christian are going and stuff, great for us, that'll be awesome.
"But if they're not, all the other guys have been preparing great. JP (Jordan Mason), [WR] Ray-Ray [McCloud], [WR] Ronnie Bell, all those guys, they look great. So we'll be ready to roll for whatever comes."
The 49ers were eager to put last weekend's 19-17 loss to the Browns behind them. However, this meant allowing the defeat, their first of the season, to linger for an additional day. Typically, the team starts ramping up prep work for the next opponent with a Wednesday practice. Due to the Monday night game, this schedule was pushed back by a day, with their initial on-field work held on Thursday.
"Yeah, it sucks, initially, for the first couple of days, especially when we had an extra day off," Purdy explained. "It's like you could feel the guys in the locker room wanted to go and practice and get ready to move on. And so, our first day of practice [on Thursday], guys were moving. It's like, man, it feels good. Let's go. Let's move on. Get ready for this next game. So, it felt good in that regard."
Purdy acknowledges that the loss was tough, but the 49ers understand many games remain on the schedule. They view Monday night's contest as an opportunity for redemption and maintain a positive outlook on the team's season.
Purdy added, "We've got to move on quickly. We've got a good team ahead of us. So the spirit's been good, and we just got to keep it going."