In the wake of his three-interception outing in the San Francisco 49ers’ 20-9 win over the Panthers on Monday, wide receiver George Kittle came out swinging in defense of quarterback Brock Purdy. The pro TE Kittle appreciated Purdy’s resilience in a way that sounded almost matter-of-fact, as if he had seen enough wild games to know that sometimes the ball slips for reasons that barely make sense at the moment.
Kittle said, “I never said anything after the first one. After the second one, I just said, ‘Take a deep breath. You’ve been here. You’re good. Move on to the next play.’ That’s it. He’s a professional; he knows what he’s doing. I think Kyle had some after the third. I’m not too worried about Brock.”
"I never said anything after the first one. After the second one, I just said, 'Take a deep breath. You've been here. You're good. Move on to the next play.' That's it. He's a professional; he knows what he's doing. I think Kyle had some after the third. I'm not too worried about… pic.twitter.com/9EE78bSvEG
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) November 25, 2025
George Kittle Backs Brock Purdy Despite a Rough Night
George Kittle
Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
The support arrived at a moment when Purdy had already put together 23 completions on 32 attempts for 193 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions in the first half. The stat line looked chaotic, yet the performance felt more like a series of near-misses than a complete unraveling.
PerAthletic reports, Shanahan also brushed off negative talks on their QB, describing the interceptions as “good decisions, just a hair late on them,” and emphasizing that the reads were correct. At the same time, the issues came down to timing and placement. Purdy downplayed the toe concern, saying it felt “fine,” and pointed instead to mis-execution on his part, noting that the ball needed more drive and a cleaner trajectory.
Kittle added another layer by mentioning the design behind one interception and pointing out that the defense showed alert coverage on the third pick, something he said Purdy “didn’t really deserve blame for,” which painted a clearer picture of why the locker room stayed steady. Even when the stat line looks rough, the group seems to care more about whether the decision-making feels intact, and according to my analysts, this one still did.
With the 49ers moving to 8-4, attention shifts toward how Purdy responds in the next outing, and Kittle’s message lands almost like a reminder to breathe: learn from a bad half and move forward instead of stirring up panic. Purdy sounded aligned with that view, saying his mechanics slipped and his timing lost its snap, which always feels fixable when the structure of the play looks right. Shanahan sounded similar, and the two of them together made the night look more like a stumble than a warning sign.
The takeaway is clear: Brock Purdy remains the guy. George Kittle believes it. The coaching staff believes it. Once the tape rolls, the sense is that the throws, even when drifting high or trailing behind, weren’t rooted in the wrong read. The 49ers plan to refine the details and keep rolling, and perhaps that is why the confidence in their decision-making pipeline feels as steady as ever.