San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ronnie Bell literally let Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams slip through his hands. On 2nd-and-10 from the 49ers' 43-yard line, quarterback Brock Purdy delivered a well-placed pass to Bell, but the rookie failed to make the catch.
Had Bell secured the ball, the 49ers might have run down the clock, improving their chances of closing out the game. Instead, the Rams capitalized on the missed opportunity and completed their comeback, defeating the division-rival 49ers 27-24.
Bad drop by Ronnie Bell pic.twitter.com/ed7caCLv3m
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) September 22, 2024
After the game, Purdy took some of the blame, stating that he could have thrown a better pass.
"He's a young guy. I love him, man," Purdy added. "And we all got Ronnie's back, so we're going to continue to need him and build him up and we're all in this together, man. It's a team sport, man. So it's not one player, one play here. It's all of them all put together."
The drop left many fans questioning why Bell was even in the game at such a crucial moment, given his limited impact over his brief NFL career, especially with promising rookie Jacob Cowing waiting in the wings.
On Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed Cowing's lack of playing time during a conference call with reporters. He was asked why the rookie hasn't seen more action during the first three games, especially with veteran Deebo Samuel sidelined.
"He's still working to get out there," Shanahan said of Cowing. "He is trying to get more comfortable with the offense and just earn a role with it, gets closer and closer each week. Still got a bit to go, though."
Shanahan was also asked if Cowing needs a better understanding of the offense to see more snaps.
"There's lots of reasons that go into it," Shanahan replied, "but he hasn't been able to make his way into that group yet, and the more he gets comfortable with the offense and the more consistent he gets, then he'll earn those opportunities."
Cowing has played just 11 snaps for the 49ers this season, all on special teams.