The San Francisco 49ers did not play their best game against the Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football last night. Despite this, they were able to pull off the 20-9 victory and improved to 8-4 on the season. Most importantly, they maintained their hold on the seventh and final seed in the NFC Playoff picture over the Detroit Lions, who also won this week.
The story of the game, specifically in the first half, was the abysmal play of quarterback Brock Purdy, who threw three interceptions during the game. In four games played this season, Purdy has just eight touchdown passes and a concerning seven interceptions, leading many fans to call for backup quarterback Mac Jones to be the starter.
After the game, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan defended his starting quarterback.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was not concerned about the Brock Purdy interceptions
San Francisco 49ers, Brock Purdy
Nov 24, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) drops back to pass against the Carolina Panthers during the second half at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
Purdy finished the game having completed 23 of his 32 passes for 193 yards, one touchdown, the aforementioned three interceptions, and a passer rating of just 58.5.
During the game, and especially the first half, many fans were wondering why Shanahan did not pull Purdy in favor of Jones due to the amount of interceptions thrown. Afterwards, the 49ers head coach explained that the throws Purdy made were not bad decisions, but that his quarterback was just a hair late on pulling the trigger.
“It makes me a lot more hesitant if they’re all bad decisions,” he said of Purdy’s turnovers according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. “But he was seeing it right. They were all good decisions. He just missed the throw on them.
“Just a hair late. And when you’re a hair late on stuff, you can’t throw behind (your receivers).”
The concern many fans have about Purdy is that he recently signed a five-year contract extension that will pay him an average of $53 million per season. Early in his career, he looked like an improbable franchise quarterback after being the last player taken in the 2022 NFL Draft, and made the Pro Bowl in his first full season as a starter in 2023.
But Purdy showed signs of regression in 2024 and has not been able to stay healthy in 2025. While he was sidelined earlier this year, Jones led San Francisco to a 5-3 record, completed 69.6% of his passes for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions, and had a passer rating of 97.4.
Given Purdy’s immense contract, there is no question that he will continue to be the 49ers’ starting quarterback as long as he is healthy. That being said, he needs to remain healthy so he can continue to practice and get his timing right so that he can avoid the kind of interceptions he threw on Monday night.
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