The injury-plagued San Francisco 49ers have somehow found a way to be competitive this season despite consistently missing several key players, but on Sunday, they were humbled by the Los Angeles Rams with a final score of 42-26. While their offense didn’t perform too badly, their defense missed tackles, and the seven penalties they committed that cost them 45 yards were a killer.
This was the sixth straight game that Mac Jones started in place of injured quarterback Brock Purdy, and he continued to play relatively well. He completed 33 of 39 pass attempts for 319 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, and his fine play of late has led to speculation that there is a brewing quarterback controversy in the Bay.
From all outward appearances, it looks like once Purdy is cleared to return from his toe injury - and it is believed he could return as soon as Week 11- he will be the team’s starter under center. However, there have been calls from some prominent voices for the Niners to stick with Jones, at least for the time being.
While there is something to be said about sticking with the hot hand, the Niners are in a dogfight to make the playoffs. They have a 6-4 record, and they will need to win most of their remaining games in order to secure a postseason spot, especially since Sunday’s loss greatly diminished their chances of winning the NFC West.
When one looks at the big picture, they need to go with Purdy under center as soon as he’s healthy enough to play without re-aggravating his toe ailment, and there are three big reasons why.
Mac Jones vs Brock Purdy Accuracy
Jones, overall, has been highly accurate on his passes. But he doesn’t really fling the football downfield beyond 20 yards, and that limits some of what he can do for San Francisco’s offense.
He has missed on some intermediate to long-range pass attempts that Purdy would’ve likely had a better chance of connecting on. While he’s averaging a solid 7.4 yards per pass attempt, Purdy, in two games this year, is at eight yards per pass attempt. Last season, Purdy averaged 8.5 yards per pass attempt, and in 2023, he led the NFL with 9.6 yards per pass attempt.
Brock Purdy is Far More Mobile
Jones has never been known for his mobility or ability to move the chains with his legs. He has just 64 rushing yards on 28 attempts this season, and his high-water mark in that category was 129 yards as a rookie in 2021.
Purdy may not be the dual-threat QB that Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are, but he has a knack for extending plays while pressured and being able to connect on passes thrown while on the run. In two games this season, he has run for 30 yards on seven attempts, and last season, he logged 323 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
Brock Purdy Knows the Offense
The offense that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan runs is fairly intricate, and it features plenty of options and misdirection. While it tends to make quarterbacks and players at the skill positions look better than they are in reality, it isn’t an easy one to learn.
Purdy, in his fourth season with the team, simply knows the offense better at this point than Jones does. He also has more chemistry with mainstays such as running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle and wide receivers Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk.
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