Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers appeared poised for an additional quick begin when two huge passes to George Kittle moved them into the pink zone on the opening drive of the sport.
What occurred subsequent set the tone for the remainder of the sport.
Purdy threw an interception to Kyle Hamilton ultimately zone to thwart the drive after which stored giving the ball away within the worst efficiency of his profession, sending the 49ers to a 33-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday evening.
“I’ve to look myself within the mirror and ask myself why or how that occurred and why I made these selections,” Purdy mentioned. “Our workforce got here able to play and for me to make some selections like that, it pains me. It’s not truthful to those guys. I’ve to understand that and perceive that, and I’ve to get higher for my workforce.”
Purdy threw three extra interceptions on the following six possessions to grow to be the primary 49ers participant with 4 in a sport since Colin Kaepernick in 2015. Purdy didn’t produce a TD — both working or passing — for the primary time in 20 profession begins and appeared overmatched in opposition to Baltimore’s stellar protection.
He completed 18 for 32 for 255 yards earlier than leaving with a stinger late within the sport that isn’t thought-about severe. However his efficiency appeared rather more like a participant picked within the seventh spherical a 12 months in the past than one who got here into the sport as the favourite to win MVP.
“He’s performed this lengthy, he by no means had a sport like this,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned. “It’s fairly uncommon. That’s the fact of the NFL. I’m not saying it’s certain to occur however I want he didn’t have as many picks at the moment.”
Purdy’s passer score of 42.6 was the worst of any sport in his profession however Shanahan mentioned the statistics didn’t mirror his quarterback’s efficiency, and all 4 interceptions got here after a success of deflection by a powerful Ravens protection.
“I believed the primary [interception] was the massive mistake,” Shanahan mentioned. “And the opposite three have been fairly unlucky for him.”
Purdy was removed from the one drawback for the 49ers, who got here into the sport because the NFL’s most full workforce however acquired dominated in all phases of the sport.
The offense stored giving the ball away and produced solely two scoring drives till Sam Darnold threw a late landing with San Francisco trailing by 21 factors.
The protection couldn’t sustain with Lamar Jackson, who beat them by working in addition to extending performs to hit huge passes in a turnover-free efficiency.
Even the particular groups had points, permitting a giant punt return adopted by a private foul on punter Mitch Wishnowsky to arrange one TD drive.
“Blended feelings about it, truthfully,” linebacker Fred Warner mentioned. “We all know the recipe for successful soccer video games for our workforce. We’ve acquired to take the ball away on protection. We didn’t take the ball away. We’ve acquired to guard the ball on offense. We gave it away. So whenever you try this, that’s the way you lose video games.”
Regardless of the loss, the Niners are in a three-way tie with Philadelphia and Detroit for the very best file within the NFC and may nonetheless clinch the No 1 seed and a first-round bye with wins of their last two video games.
They end the season with video games at Washington on Sunday and at dwelling in Week 18 in opposition to the Rams.
“Our guys are actual disenchanted tonight,” Shanahan mentioned. “They need to be. However when it comes right down to it, we’re nonetheless in the identical scenario that we have been earlier than the sport began. We’ve acquired to handle our enterprise.”