The good news about ugly wins is that they count just the same in the standings. There is no column for style points in the NFL, which is fortunate, because the San Francisco 49ers wouldn’t have earned any in their Monday night victory over the Carolina Panthers. But with the 20-9 win, the Niners are sitting at 8-4. In a muddled NFC, they likely need just two more victories to punch a ticket to the postseason. That’s the math. But here is the bad news about ugly wins: They force you to stare into the abyss. They make you wonder if this team should even bother chasing those two wins, let alone book travel arrangements for January. Monday was a survival test, and I suppose the Niners did what they needed to do. It was messy. It was confusing. It was a win. Here is who kept the ship afloat, and the man who nearly sank it: 💪 STUDS Christian McCaffrey • RB Lost in the interceptfest was the fact that McCaffrey remains the most reliable bailout plan in football. His nine touches on the opening drive were so brutally effective that there wasn’t time to stop and consider that giving him that much volume that early is borderline coaching malpractice. But once Kyle Shanahan finally decided to stop flirting with disaster in the passing game and just run outside zone, the Niners put the game on ice. McCaffrey is currently on pace to become the only player in NFL history to register 1, 000 yards rushing and 1, 000 yards receiving in a single season twice. We are watching greatness mask a whole lot of mediocrity. Jauan Jennings • WR You cannot break what is already broken. On his game-opening touchdown, three Panthers defenders converged on Jennings. They hit him from the left. They hit him from the right. They hit him from behind. Most receivers fold. Jennings? He simply shrugged them off like a man brushing crumbs off jacket and walked into the end zone. It doesn’t matter what else happens on the stat sheet. A play that boss lands you on the Studs list immediately. Bryce Huff • DE Simple analysis here: Huff had the juice. He drew two penalties rushing off the edge simply because the tackles couldn’t handle his get-off. When the offense stalled, Huff made sure the Panthers couldn’t take advantage. Bryce Young will see Huff in his nightmares on Monday. Ji’Ayir Brown • S This was the finest game of Brown’s career. He didn’t just snag two massive interceptions; he was a menace all over the field. He was erasing receivers in the flat. He was stuffing the run in the C-gap like a linebacker. In the modern NFL, safety play is destiny. If Brown has leveled up alongside the equally violent Malik Mustapha, the Niners suddenly have a duo that can wreck game plans. If San Francisco makes a run, it starts with these two. George Kittle • TE Another week, another superlative performance. Catching tough passes? Check. Mauling defenders in the run game? Check. What more is there to say? He is the gold standard. 📉 DUDS Brock Purdy • 3INTQB The three interceptions were inexcusable and the single reason this game wasn’t a blowout by halftime. If you want to be charitable, you could say the third interception was a great play by Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn. But even that was only possible because Purdy lacked the field vision to see the danger before letting it fly. The first two? Those were woeful. Underthrown. Late. It looked like a guy who hadn’t taken a snap in years, not a franchise quarterback. This was Purdy’s worst outing since the Christmas Day debacle in 2023. This is untenable. You can get away with this against Carolina. You cannot make the playoffs with play like this. You cannot get away with this nonsense in the playoffs. If San Francisco wants to be more than a Wild Card exit, Purdy has to find his game. The good news? We just saw it last week.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2025/11/24/49ers-studs-and-duds-the-niners-dominate-while-brock-purdy-implodes/
Tag: kyle shanahan
49ers have a ‘New-Name Defense’ scrambling to fill holes before Rams visit
SANTA CLARA — Three men walked into a bar. Or maybe they wish they did. Kyle Shanahan, Robert Saleh, and John Lynch came together at midfield and gazed at the 49ers’ defensive players they had left for Thursday’s practice, under almost sarcastically sunny skies.
Of course, that unit presses on without Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Mykel Williams for the rest of this season. But two more defensive mainstays missed Thursday’s session: linebacker Dee Winters (knee) and defensive tackle Alfred Collins (hip). Also added to the injury report after limited duty were just-acquired defensive end Keion White (groin) and defensive tackle Kalia Davis (ankle).
Alas, more reinforcements could be needed on an ever-changing defense, one that must bond fast Sunday when the 49ers (6-3) host the Los Angeles Rams (6-2). Saleh, in his increasingly challenging encore as defensive coordinator, must orchestrate more magic than ever anticipated from a young and recalibrating defense. Call it a “New-Name Defense.”
So who’s surfacing now as the vocal leader, the enforcer, the turnover-forcing playmaker?
“That’s the exciting part,” Saleh said. “When we were here in ’17 and ’18, it was, ‘Who’s going to be next?’ You saw this little skinny linebacker named Fred Warner and nobody expected it to be him. Jimmie Ward, Jaquiski Tartt, DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead, all those guys were so young, rose to the occasion, and made a name for themselves.”
That group is gone, except officially for Warner, who was in the 49ers locker room Thursday and in upbeat spirits while scootering around on his surgically repaired right ankle. Still, the 49ers are scouring to fill Warner’s on-field void.
The candidates?
“This group, being as young as it is, I wish I could tell you,” Saleh said. “I have an idea. I’m excited for everybody to take advantage of their opportunity and evolve the way we know they’re capable of.”
Bryce Huff, with a team-high four sacks, is expected to return from a hamstring injury and align on a frontline with last week’s newcomers, White and Clelin Ferrell.
Nametags wouldn’t be a bad idea at this point.
“Man, I’m terrible with names, so just trying to learn everybody’s name is big for me,” White said. “The guys in my room are really cool, real funny. It’s cool to get to know them.”
White gave no indication his groin issue is serious, and he praised Saleh’s “aggressive, one-gap, one-man” scheme. “Coach Saleh says, ‘Go be disruptive, play 100 percent and we’ll figure out the rest after,’” he added.
Ferrell chimed in, saying, “When you come in on a new team, you have, I don’t want to say more important things, but you have so many things you’re trying to learn. It comes with that awkward moment of, ‘What’s your name again?’ But it’s pretty normal.”
Their mission Sunday: keep Matthew Stafford from adding to his NFL lead of 21 touchdown passes.
Lynch, in his ninth season as general manager, defended the 49ers’ trade-deadline motives by pointing to his four earlier trades, from Huff’s arrival in June to White’s acquisition last week. Just because Tuesday’s deadline came without more help didn’t mean the 49ers overslept.
“We weren’t going to get fleeced. We weren’t going to overpay,” Lynch said on KNBR 680-AM. “It’s just not good business.”
And it’s just not a good pass rush or ball-hawking defense that is ushering the 49ers into the second-half push toward the playoffs.
Then again, Saleh’s defense has delivered timely plays, from win-clinching sacks in their first two games at Seattle and New Orleans to last month’s overtime win in Los Angeles, where a fourth-down stop ended things but only after Collins forced and recovered a fumble at the 1-yard line late in regulation.
Linebacker Tatum Bethune, who has a thigh issue ahead of his fourth start in Warner’s place, insists the leadership vacuum is being filled by all.
“We all come together to find out what we can do better together as a defense,” Bethune said. “After the game, we get on the plane, and we all stand up watching film, trying to correct stuff we could have done better in the game.”
**Health Updates**
Quarterback Brock Purdy remains limited in practice for a fourth straight week, and perhaps signaling another week on the sidelines, the 49ers had replacement starter Mac Jones address the media again Thursday. Center Jake Brendel (hamstring) was also limited.
Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) remained out but ran well on a side field.
Full participants were Jones (knee), wide receiver Jauan Jennings (ankle, shoulder), left guard Ben Bartch (ankle), and cornerback Darrell Luter (Achilles).
The Rams upgraded wide receiver Puca Nacua (chest) and cornerback Darious Williams (shoulder) to full participants while wide receiver Jordan Whittington (back) was their lone player out.
**Extra Points**
Jones said of Christian McCaffrey, the NFL’s 7th-leading receiver: “He’s super talented. I’d seen it from afar, but being on the field with him in OTAs and camp, he’s explosive. He trains all the movements. He gets open and catches the ball, the two vital parts of being a receiver.”
Return specialist Skyy Moore was saddened to learn former Western Michigan teammate and Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland died by suicide Thursday following a police chase. Moore said he and Kneeland were part of the same 2019 recruiting class.
Left tackle Trent Williams, a three-time All-Pro and 11-time Pro Bowler, was surprised to learn he won the 49ers’ in-house nod as Offensive Player of the Week.
“When I walked into the O-line room, I got fined for being up there. That’s how I figured it out.”
Why has Williams never been the NFC Offensive Player of the Week?
“That’s a valid point. I’d like to hear the answer, too,” he replied.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/11/06/49ers-have-a-new-name-defense-scrambling-to-fill-holes-before-rams-visit/
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan Makes Admission on Brock Purdy’s Injury
The San Francisco 49ers have shown they can win without quarterback Brock Purdy, which is reassuring given that he may not be fully healthy anytime soon.
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan announced that Purdy might not be at full strength for the remainder of this season. Purdy missed his fifth straight game during the 49ers’ 34-24 victory over the New York Giants. The team currently stands at 6-3 overall and 5-2 with Mac Jones starting in Purdy’s absence due to a lingering toe injury.
Purdy has missed two games earlier in the season because of this toe ailment, along with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. Despite this, reports suggest he could be well enough to return for San Francisco’s upcoming showdown on Sunday against their rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, at Levi’s Stadium.
### Brock Purdy May Not Be 100 Percent Again This Season
No player who logs significant snaps is ever truly 100 percent healthy once November rolls around, but Purdy’s condition—turf toe, medically defined as a hyperextended big toe—is especially painful when playing on artificial turf. This injury is likely to remain a concern for the 49ers throughout the rest of the season.
“Any time you’re dealing with this turf toe, it’s something that probably won’t fully go away all year,” Shanahan said after the 49ers’ win over the Giants. “Regardless of when he comes back, he’s always going to have to deal with it a little bit.”
The 49ers have played two consecutive games on turf and three of their past five games on artificial surfaces. However, that streak will end when they return home to face the Rams. Sunday’s game marks the start of a stretch featuring five straight games on grass (including four in a row), followed by their Week 14 bye and then a home game in Tennessee.
This upcoming matchup is considered conducive for Purdy’s potential return, according to Shanahan. “When you talk to people who have gone through turf toe, it’s really about when is it the best time when you have to deal with it the least,” Shanahan explained. “It’s a little bit of a tricky decision.”
### The 49ers Are Trying To Get Brock Purdy As Healthy As Possible Before He Returns
When asked about the possibility of Purdy undergoing toe surgery, Shanahan indicated that it is unlikely. Meanwhile, Mac Jones has continued to perform impressively in his pro career. The fifth-year quarterback boasts a 67.2% completion percentage, a 10-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and is averaging 261.7 passing yards per game. This strong performance has provided no pressing reason to rush Purdy back onto the field.
Shanahan is focused on carefully easing Purdy back into practice, conscious of not pushing the quarterback too hard given the severity of his injury. The 49ers currently hold about an 80% chance of making the playoffs, and they will want their No. 1 quarterback healthy if they hope to make a serious run at playing a Super Bowl on their home turf in February.
“I just want to make sure he gets 100 percent better, and I won’t put him out there too early,” Shanahan said. “I thought about [Purdy] as a backup or emergency [third QB], but I think the more time we give him, the better.”
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/kyle-shanahan-brock-purdy-toe-injury-season/