Brock Purdy wasn't benched against the Ravens
The San Francisco 49ers' Christmas holiday did not end the way they thought it would against the Baltimore Ravens, as Brock Purdy and co. lost by two touchdowns to the AFC's No. 1 seed.It was an awful night for Kyle Shanahan's offense. The Ravens seemed to be one step ahead at every turn and not […]
The San Francisco 49ers' Christmas holiday did not end the way they thought it would against the Baltimore Ravens, as Brock Purdy and co. lost by two touchdowns to the AFC's No. 1 seed.
It was an awful night for Kyle Shanahan's offense. The Ravens seemed to be one step ahead at every turn and not only did they figure out the 9ers offense – they were physical and imposing as well, which only made things that much harder.
Purdy, who typically doesn't turn the ball over, threw not one, not two, not three, but four interceptions on the night. Three of the 49ers' first four drives ended with the ball in the Ravens' hands.
Purdy left the game about midway through the fourth quarter once the Ravens were up by 21-points. At that point, his day was pretty much done.
Still, we've seen guys like Tom Brady stay in games, down 35-3, in the past. Hell even Dak Prescott played 100% of offensive snaps during the Dallas Cowboys' blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills a couple weeks back. QBs stay in the game, regardless, because it sends a message to their teammates that they'll never quit, no matter the circumstance. And, obviously, that's the attitude/mindset you want every single player on your team to have.
So, naturally, the decision to take Purdy out of the game prompted many to wonder if he was benched, simply taken out of the game, or injured.
Sure enough, Shanahan cleared that up after the game, saying Purdy re-injured a stinger he suffered in Week 15 against the Arizona Cardinals. He's expected to be ready to go for Week 17 against the Washington Commanders.
"I know he was disappointed not being able to finish it, there, but getting that stinger again [I] just wanted to keep him out of there," Shanahan told reporters after the game. "[I'm] ready for him to bounce back next week…
"… We had three had o-linemen out, at the time. I didn't want him to go in and not be ready for next week."
Shanahan later said he's not concerned about the extent of the stinger, so everything sounds like it's on track for the penultimate game of the 2023 season.
Purdy and 49ers offense are set up for a big day against the Commanders
If he and everyone else are healthy enough to play, of course.
In terms of bouncing back, Purdy and co. have the perfect chance to do just that against an awful Commanders defense. Head coach Ron Rivera even fired former defensive coordinator, Jack Del Rio, a few weeks back in hopes of providing a spark. It has not worked out, at all, however, as the defense has given up 28+ points in three straight games. Including this most recent 30-point outing to the lowly New York Jets.
It'll honestly be a surprise if Rivera still has his job by the time this game kicks off. The franchise is in a total state of disarray and the once-promising Sam Howell has thrown just six touchdowns to six interceptions over the last five games because he simply can't stay upright. The dude has been sacked an NFL-worst 60 times (yes, you read that right) this season, which is going to put a toll on any player – it doesn't matter who they are.
Regardless, the good news is the 49ers have experienced bad/tough losses this year, already. So they know what needs to be done to get back on track.
But at the same time, it's going to be a while before they wash the taste of Monday night from their mouths. Maybe they'll get a chance to redeem themselves against the Ravens in Las Vegas come February.
