With just over four minutes left in Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers offense snapped the football, and quarterback Brock Purdy had ample time to survey the field. He ultimately connected with wide receiver Jauan Jennings for a solid gain.
However, Purdy seemingly overlooked wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who was wide open deep downfield. Had Purdy connected with Aiyuk instead, it likely would have resulted in a touchdown and given the 49ers a commanding 31-17 lead. Instead, they settled for a field goal attempt, which Jake Moody missed.
The Rams capitalized on the opportunity and completed their comeback, stunning the 49ers with a 27-24 victory.
.@49ers I thought this could have easily been the "nail in the coffin" as @THE2ERA was wide open. Cant figure out why Brock didnt throw it. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/qMBZp6ez3v
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) September 23, 2024
On Monday, the day after the tough loss, head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters via conference call and addressed Purdy's decision not to throw to Aiyuk on that play.
"They busted a coverage, and B.A. had a deep curl route," Shanahan explained. "They busted a coverage, so B.A. did the right thing and just took off and went to that hole. It kind of caught Brock by surprise because B.A. was number two in the progression, and when he looked to him, B.A. wasn't in the right spot because they busted a coverage and he went down the field.
"Brock thought about it. He just wasn't sure where the rest of the safety was or anything, since he wasn't anticipating that to happen."
Shanahan acknowledged that the play was a missed opportunity to put away the Rams and improve to 2-1, thus avoiding a two-game skid.
"It would've worked, obviously, if he let it go, but that happens sometimes," Shanahan continued. "Defense busts a coverage, and if you're not looking at the guy the whole time, all of a sudden, it turns it into a go route, you can't always just let it rip."
The 49ers will look to rebound this Sunday when they host the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium.
