49ers Notebook: Running game looking for a spark; Purdy, Kendrick Bourne searching for chemistry; Arik Armstead’s revenge

Coming into the 2025 season, there weren't many who would have predicted the San Francisco 49ers would still be searching for a groove in their running game with four games in the books. But that's one of many areas where the team still needs work, as evidenced by Sunday's home loss to the Jaguars.

The 49ers are averaging just 88 yards per game through four weeks with 3.3 yards per carry. Both of those are among the lowest marks in the league and are not what was expected given the big-name talent the 49ers have in their backfield.

Against the Jaguars, the 49ers were disadvantaged after falling in an early 14-3 hole and finished with 83 yards on 24 carries with a 3.5 average. Christian McCaffrey led the way with 49 yards on 17 carries (2.9 average), while Brian Robinson Jr. chipped in five carries for 21 yards and quarterback Brock Purdy had two carries for 13 yards.

Following the game, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan pointed at big plays (or lack thereof) as an area where the running game hasn't performed as expected.

"Just not enough explosives really," Shanahan said. "I mean, we're getting extremely heavy two-shell defenses, and I would've thought we would've done better today because you get heavy two-shell defenses, you can't get a big explosive run, usually it comes down to third down. That's what we struggled at the week before, but I thought we did real well on third down today which should have kept us out there and kept us going."

When will things turn around for the running game? Despite the low numbers, McCaffrey is optimistic an uptick should happen soon.

"I think overall, we're close," McCaffrey said Sunday. "I think we have to gel a little bit better together, but we are close. This is a tight, tight league and the room for error is very slim, so all the mistakes are correctable and there's little things here and there to improve. Once we start rolling, we can start to get it going again. I'm excited for that."

The running game is one of several topics of postgame discussion we're going to dive into in this version of 49ers Notebook. We're going to dive into two of the other big shortcomings from Sunday's loss -- turnovers and dropped passes -- while also hearing from an old friend who came back to haunt his former team in the clutch. Let's get into it...

The Bourne Fallibility

Sunday was a day to forget for veteran wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, who caught one pass on four targets with multiple drops. Could Bourne's issues partially be due to a lack of reps with quarterback Brock Purdy?

With Purdy coming off a toe injury that kept him out for two games and Bourne only having signed with the 49ers early in the month, there was question after Sunday's game over whether or not the two of them still have work to do in order to get on the same page. Bourne told reporters that he and Purdy are still working on their chemistry but blamed himself for not catching the passes that came his way.

"I wouldn't call it rust. I think it's just building a relationship," Bourne told reporters Sunday. "I've got to catch the ball. That's how I look on it from my end. I feel like I was in the wrong spots a little bit. That's how I feel. I've just got to be in better spots for Brock, give him a better target. I kind of look at it from my standpoint, not from his. So next week, just working through the week and trying to build that relationship as we go."

Purdy had Bourne's back when speaking with reporters and suggested there's at least some clear communication between the two of them when things go wrong.

"I know that the receivers are new and everything like that and you can talk chemistry and things, but I think at the end of the day it's football," Purdy said. "KB, he's awesome man. I love playing with that guy. He's real, and he's like 'Hey man, I just dropped the ball. I took my eyes off it' or whatever. So we're real about it."

Purdy also expressed optimism that things will improve sooner rather than later, both with Bourne and with his receivers in general.

"We've got to keep moving together and making sure the operation, the plays, we're playing together," Purdy said. "Those are things that we're just going to have to continue to grow together with. It's nothing really more than that, but we'll be just fine. I know it's early in the season and this one sucked, but we're going to learn from our mistakes."

Speaking of new faces at receiver

Another 49ers receiver made his debut on Saturday, although he's one Purdy has had a chance to work with after signing with the team in the offseason.

Wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, who joined the 49ers on a two-year deal in March, returned this week after serving a three-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. He caught one pass for 20 yards in the loss to the Jaguars.

Fellow receiver (and fellow University of Florida alum) Ricky Pearsall seemed thrilled to have Robinson on the field Sunday.

"Demarcus, he's a baller, man," Pearsall said. "He's a baller. He's a good dude to have in the huddle, energy-wise. As you can see, he's got (hands) too, so when the ball's in the air, he's going to go get it."

More dropsies and turnovers

McCaffrey led the 49ers with six catches for 92 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, but he too had moments where he didn't haul in passes that came his way. He was sure to mention that when assessing Purdy's performance in the loss tot he Jaguars.

"Myself included, we had a lot of drops for him too," McCaffrey said. "When you have those kinds of plays, it can get put on the quarterback, but I thought he did a great job out there."

Purdy was tagged with three turnovers against the Jaguars, two of them coming on interceptions. One of those interceptions was intended for McCaffrey, who juggled Purdy's pass before it landed in the arms of Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd. The pass came in high, but McCaffrey says he should have been able to catch it.

"I went up with two [hands]," McCaffrey said. "I didn't think I could get it with two, so at the last second, I tried to get it with one. I have to haul that thing in. I felt like I was getting held at the line of scrimmage there. It was tough to get out. Once again, I can make that play and I need to make that play."

While McCaffrey may have put the blame on himself for that play, Purdy did the same for the team's turnover problems in general.

"We can't do it," Purdy said. "It's the NFL. And it starts with me, throwing better balls and being smart with the ball. I think it really starts there. And I've just got to be better."

Purdy told reporters on Sunday that his toe felt good and was confident he was healthy enough to perform, but he made an interesting comment when asked if his high passes might have been related to the problems with his toe.

"I'm not really sure," Purdy said. "I think just getting back out there and throwing and getting into a rhythm, being down two weeks, coming back and feeling out my body and everything, obviously how my toe feels, honestly I don't know the answer to that. But I'm going to watch this film, look at my mechanics and be real with myself and try to fix that."

Arik's Revenge

At one point, it seemed like defensive lineman Arik Armstead might wind up playing his entire career in a 49ers uniform. But that didn't turn out to be the case, even though the 49ers probably wish they had him on their sidelines on Sunday.

Armstead, who was a first-round draft pick of the 49ers in 2015, signed with the Jaguars in March of 2024 after the 49ers gave him his release. Armstead returned to Levi's Stadium Sunday as an opponent after playing his first nine seasons with the 49ers and made a big splash when he sealed the game with a fourth quarter strip sack of Brock Purdy.

Needless to say, Armstead was happy with how things turned out on Sunday.

"It's a big day for me... It's a day I'll remember always," Armstead said. "Especially in my career, there's gonna be certain games I'll forget about, obviously playing a lot of football, but this won't be one of those."

Armstead was a leader and a popular player among the 49ers, so it's not surprising that at least one of his former teammates had some positive words when the topic came up after the game.

"Man, it was good seeing Arik," wide receiver Jauan Jennings said. "It is always good seeing Mr. Stay Hungry himself. I'm proud of him, man. He's still my brother. I love seeing all my brothers ball."