49ers’ offense goes chilly after Mike Evans exits. What does that imply going ahead?
On Monday evening, late within the third quarter, together with his staff main by 20 factors and one other 300-yard efficiency seemingly assured, Brock Purdy regarded, effectively, relaxed.
With his protection on the sphere, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback sat alone on the finish of a bench, glancing sometimes on the Jumbotron, with out a Microsoft pill in his fingers and together with his quarterbacks coach, Mick Lombardi, standing about 10 ft away. At one level, Purdy crossed his legs. Later, he dangled his ft within the air and moved them back and forth, retaining them free.
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About an hour later, exterior the 49ers’ locker room, Purdy was requested concerning the solitary second when he wasn’t learning the opponent’s protection or conferring together with his place coach. Was that uncommon for him throughout a sport? Purdy solely had a imprecise reminiscence.
“With the pill, there’s solely a lot you’ll be able to take a look at,” Purdy mentioned. “It was an extended drive. I used to be in all probability simply getting off my ft and taking a breath.”
The second was symbolic. Purdy and his teammates went from chilling – seemingly cruising to a blowout win over an overmatched opponent – to stressing throughout a 23-17 win over the Commanders that was nearly an upset loss as a result of the NFL’s third-ranked scoring offense went from unstoppable to catatonic.
Leading 23-3 with 16 minutes left, the 49ers (6-0) wanted their protection to avoid wasting them as a result of Purdy and crew completed with three consecutive three-and-out drives in opposition to Washington (1-4-1) and its Thirty second-ranked scoring protection.
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That brings us to a different symbolic second as the sport started slipping away: With 7:46 left and Purdy again on the sideline after a second straight three-play possession included a sack and a punt, he was now not alone. He was joined on the bench by Lombardi and backup quarterbacks Mac Jones and Kurtis Rourke. All 4 of them had been watching their very own Microsoft tablets, apparently making an attempt to determine: What was happening?
They by no means did discover the reply. It was sufficient to make Purdy visibly irritated as he addressed the media after the 49ers remained one of many NFL’s three unbeaten groups with the fifth 6-0 begin in franchise historical past.
“Yeah, I’m actually slightly upset with how I completed the sport,” Purdy mentioned. “… It’s on me for us to execute higher and be extra environment friendly within the second half. There had been performs to be made.”
Purdy accomplished 19 of 25 passes for 253 yards and a landing on the 49ers’ first six drives, a stretch that ended with Eddy Piñeiro’s 33-yard discipline purpose that offered a 23-3 cushion with 5:56 left within the third quarter. On Purdy’s ultimate three drives: 2-for-4 for 11 yards, with two sacks.
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The 49ers’ first-half totals: 20 factors, 17 first downs, 303 yards. The second half: three factors, three first downs, 72 yards.
“I believe for some motive, both schematically or simply execution, we simply weren’t hitting within the second half,” middle Jake Brendel mentioned.
Here’s a doable motive: Pro Bowl huge receiver Mike Evans performed the primary 29 minutes earlier than he exited simply earlier than halftime with Achilles tendinitis, a difficulty that prevented him from practising in the course of the week.
Eight days after a dominant second-half efficiency in a 32-29 upset win at Seattle, Evans had three catches for 94 yards earlier than he limped to the locker room. On the 49ers’ first drive, which ended with a landing, Evans had a 24-yard seize on Third-and-4. On the 49ers’ second drive, which ended with a landing, Evans had a 54-yard catch-and-run.
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“Mike Evans is an incredible soccer participant, and he confirmed all that within the first half,” tight finish George Kittle mentioned. “He ran all of the routes, caught every little thing thrown at him, actually opened up the sphere for us. Just such a menace. I do not assume we went three-and-out three straight instances as a result of Mike was not there. Obviously, he would have helped. But we simply received to execute.”
The apparent query: With Evans unlikely to play, how effectively can the 49ers execute once they go to the Falcons on Sunday?
The offense’s late-game wheezing may have mirrored that they’ve lastly suffered one harm too many to their huge receiver corps. After Evans exited, the 49ers’ prime 4 wideouts had been unavailable: Deebo Samuel (hamstring) will not play till November and Demarcus Robinson (ankle) and De’Zhaun Stribling (ankle) are on injured reserve.
“I believe we’re on, what, our fifth huge receiver?” Kittle mentioned. “Our fifth or sixth huge receiver? I do not use that as an excuse. I believe our huge receivers are greater than able to working the performs coach Shanahan requires us.”
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Are they? The 49ers completed Monday with 4 wideouts: Past-his-prime Brandin Cooks, 33, Jacob Cowing, Jordan Watkins and Malik Turner, who was elevated from the observe squad Monday. Cooks was unemployed earlier than the 49ers signed him on Sept. 22. Cowing, Watkins and Turner have mixed for 37 profession catches.
On Monday, the foursome had two catches for 35 yards. Kittle famous the ultimate three possessions included some “disasters.”
“It’s form of what we went by final season, as effectively,” Brendel mentioned. “Plenty of unlucky accidents on the wideout place.”
Indeed, regardless of throwing to a rag-tag receiver group headlined by Jauan Jennings, who wasn’t re-signed within the offseason, Purdy returned from turf toe final 12 months and went on a late-season tear. It’s a part of Purdy’s historical past, an total physique of labor that implies Monday’s flameout is not essentially foreshadowing a clunker to come back in opposition to the Falcons.
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Consider: On Monday, after his fifth cross try on the 49ers’ opening drive, Purdy, with 1,500 profession makes an attempt, turned the NFL’s all-time passer ranking chief. That is, the previous No. 262 choose within the 2022 draft has spent his first 5 seasons overcoming obstacles.
If Purdy has to play with out Evans and the following three guys in line in Atlanta earlier than the 49ers have their bye? It may imply Purdy will not have many dangling-his-feet sideline moments Sunday, however he expressed confidence he’ll discover the solutions after ending Monday wanting misplaced.
“Obviously, it sucks to have (Evans) go down,” Purdy mentioned. “But I nonetheless imagine within the guys that we’ve got to step up and make performs for us. We’ll be good.”
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This article initially printed at 49ers’ offense goes cold after Mike Evans exits. What does that mean going forward?.
