He may have too much trust in Purdy.
San Francisco 49ers v Denver Broncos | Matthew Stockman/GettyImages
The San Francisco 49ers came away with a win on Monday night despite a rough performance against the Carolina Panthers.
Quarterback Brock Purdy threw three first-half interceptions, which may force head coach Kyle Shanahan to treat him a bit differently.
When Purdy is fully healthy and has his weapons around him, we have seen him run Shanahan's offense better than any other quarterback the coach has had in San Francisco. However, we know Purdy is not 100-percent healthy as he is dealing with his toe issue.
Both Purdy and Shanahan pushed back on the notion the signal-caller's picks had anything to do with the toe, which seems to check out because we have seen Purdy make poor throws like that in the past even when he is healthy.
But the fact Purdy did not look great and [even stirred up a potential controversy](https://ninernoise.com/brock-purdy-stirred-own-qb-controversy-worst-way-possible) between him and backup Mac Jones is cause for concern and makes one think Shanahan may have to coach Purdy in a different way.
Kyle Shanahan needs to exert Jimmy Garoppolo-like control over Brock Purdy
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Shanahan trusts Purdy more than any other quarterback he's had in San Francisco. That is evident from the way he calls the game, but he may have too much trust in his quarterback right now.
Purdy is making mistakes that are just not necessary. With the way the Niners were moving the ball on Monday, not to mention the way the defense was playing, there was no need for some of the throws he made.
His second pick, in particular, stands out because he wanted to take a shot at wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in the end zone, but Purdy could have easily run the ball for a first down or taken an easy completion to tight end George Kittle, which was right in front of him.
Of course, there are benefits to [having your quarterback take risks](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6836642/2025/11/25/brock-purdy-49ers-panthers-monday-night-football/) and air the ball out down the field. We have seen Purdy make great off-schedule plays with throws on the run, out of the pocket in the past.
But there is a time and place for plays like that.
Maybe Shanahan needs to harken back to the days when Jimmy Garoppolo was the signal-caller in San Francisco and be a little less aggressive with Purdy. Shanahan knows he has one of the most talented players in the game in running back Christian McCaffrey, so there is no need to take unnecessary risks with Purdy that could result in turnovers.
This does not mean the head coach has to completely neuter Purdy, but maybe Shanahan needs to be more selective in opportunities he gives his quarterback to push the ball down the field.
With the precarious state of the talent on San Francisco's roster, the 49ers cannot beat themselves with turnovers, which is why Shanahan needs to reign Purdy in a little bit.