The San Francisco 49ers are still alive and well in the NFC playoff picture through the first 12 weeks of the 2025 NFL season. However, there are still quite a few concerns surrounding the team that could ultimately bite them in the final stretch run.
Most notably outside of the injury issues, franchise quarterback Brock Purdy has not looked great this season.
Purdy has been in and out of game action due to injuries himself. Even when he has been on the field, things have not looked quite right. That has led to quite a bit of concern within the 49ers’ fan base about the team’s future with Purdy leading the way.
So far this season, Purdy has played in just four games. He has completed 68.7 percent of his pass attempts for 979 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Those numbers clearly aren’t going to get the job done for a quarterback who just received a massive five-year, $265 million contract from San Francisco.
With that being said, one 49ers reporter has spoken out urging the team to make a drastic decision regarding Purdy for this week’s matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
Grant Cohn of 49ers on SI has suggested that San Francisco could bench Purdy for this week’s game. He suggests that not making the 25-year-old signal caller go up against the red-hot Browns’ defense might be an idea the 49ers’ leadership would consider.
“The 49ers should not play Brock Purdy against the Cleveland Browns,” Cohn wrote in a post on X, accompanied by a video with his thoughts on the situation.
Mac Jones has been a highly impactful backup quarterback for San Francisco this season. He has played in nine games so far this year, throwing for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions, while completing 69.6 percent of his passes.
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There have been some calls for a legitimate quarterback competition between Purdy and Jones. It’s hard to judge Purdy for his performance this season with the injuries he has been dealing with. The roster around him has also been torn up due to injuries.
Only time will tell what will happen this week. It is still the most likely scenario that Purdy is on the field under center for the 49ers against Cleveland. However, Cohn thinks that a benching could make sense.
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