San Francisco 49ers We always faced an uphill climb offensively with so many stars out due to injury in Week 3 Los Angeles RamsThe 49ers have placed star running back Christian McCaffrey on IR, while wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle have both been ruled out ahead of the matchup with LA.
49ers QB Brock Purdy’s success is often underrated because he has so many great weapons around him, but with so many players out, he had to do it all by himself against the Rams. Purdy was fantastic for most of the afternoon, but it still didn’t matter as San Francisco’s receivers couldn’t catch the ball.
The Rams beat the 49ers 27-24 thanks to a stunning second half comeback. The Niners are suddenly 1-2 after last year. Super Bowl run.
Purdy was dominant all day, going 22-of-30 for 292 yards, scoring three touchdowns and throwing no interceptions. There was just one problem: His receivers dropped six passes. You can’t win that way.
The Niners’ worst drop came late in the fourth quarter when the score was tied. On second down from the SF 43-yard-line, Purdy threw a perfect pass to receiver Ronnie Brown, who somehow dropped it. Watch the play here:
You can identify the exact moment when Kyle Shanahan’s morale broke. This is the moment.
bell Another hard drop came in the third quarterAlso. He wasn’t alone: San Francisco’s weapons couldn’t make a play for Purdy, even though he was delivering the ball on target and on time.
Shanahan defended his quarterback after the game:
Purdy had eight incomplete shots and missed six of them. The Niners were heavy favorites in the division entering the season, but Seattle Seahawks Suddenly they’re 3-0, while the rest of the division is currently 1-2.
Purdy and the Niners desperately need their best players back. We saw Patrick Mahomes struggle with his receivers dropping passes last year. Now Purdy has to figure out how to deal with that.