“(Kyle Shanahan’s) shown no signs of wanting a change at quarterback,” says Niners Nation of Purdy
The Los Angeles Rams are in prime position for a return to the playoffs, yet the San Francisco 49ers stand in their way on Thursday Night Football. With the injury-depleted 49ers backed into a corner, the Rams can send their bitter rival whining into that good night with a season sweep in Week 15.
This week I spoke with Marc Delucchi from Niners Nation to size up the opposition ahead of an important matchup for two teams with playoff aspirations.
Q – In Week 3, the Rams pulled off a stunning 27-24 upset of the 49ers to prevent falling to 0-3. This was after SF went ahead 14-0 in the first quarter, and then 21-7 halfway through the third. What led to the Niners blowing two 14-point leads in that matchup and how do they prevent that from happening again this week if this one goes down to the wire?
A – There are several games that the Niners can look back on as huge missed opportunities this season, but it really feels like this was the biggest. If San Francisco held on and avoided one of their other embarrassing early-season losses, the Rams are probably more likely to sell at the deadline, and this matchup is a lot easier for them. Instead, the Rams have the tiebreaker and are another team they have to climb to reach the postseason.
Q – Despite Brock Purdy putting together his best performance of the season against the Bears on Sunday, he’s been pretty up and down in 2024. How does Purdy expand on his stellar outing versus Chicago and how likely is it that he signs a long-term extension this offseason?
A – I’ve been consistently more tepid in my praise of Purdy than most other 49ers analysts (and the fanbase), but I do think his performance against the Bears is more in line with his ability than what we’ve seen. I think a combination of injuries and pressing created some bad habits that were on full display earlier this season. Maybe he regresses as the pressure mounts against a better opponent than the Bears, but I wouldn’t bet on it. As for the extension, I’d be quite surprised if he doesn’t sign a long-term extension with San Francisco this offseason. I’d probably be more open to playing it differently than most, but Kyle Shanahan is the decision-maker here and he’s shown no signs of wanting a change at quarterback.
Q – Third-string running back Isaac Guerendo scored 2 touchdowns in Christian McCaffrey’s absence, yet exited the Bears game with a likely foot sprain. Who steps up at RB if Guerendo cannot play?
A – That’s a great question. With Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell already out for the season, the Niners would likely be starting Patrick Taylor Jr. if Guerendo were sidelined. Maybe recent pickup Izzy Abanikanda gets to showcase his speed, but it’s hard to know how capable he’ll be of making an impact just a couple weeks after joining the team. Given how productive Jauan Jennings and George Kittle were as receivers this past week, I wouldn’t be surprised if an injury to Guerendo effectively turned Deebo Samuel into the primary running back.
Q – Along those lines, much like LA in the early part of the year, the 49ers have dealt with their fair share of injuries for much of this season. How have the Niners navigated injuries to key players like Nick Bosa and Trent Williams?
A – The 49ers roster is built for superstars (and Shanahan’s scheme) to carry a roster that may have some other obvious holes. The laundry list of injuries has really limited San Francisco’s ability to cover up their weakest spots on the depth chart, and that’s a big reason they are below .500.
Q – FanDuel Sportsbook has San Francisco as a 2.5-point favorite at home on TNF. What are your expectations for this game and how do the Niners pull off a win on a short week?
A – The Niners feel like it is impossible to predict this season. Yet, it sure seems like we’ve seen a version of this story several times before, right? A Niners team that gets off to a slow and confusing start to the season, featuring some shocking losses, before putting it all together at the last minute to sneak into the playoffs and wreak havoc. At least, that’s what they did two seasons ago. Injuries have left the 49ers in a place they aren’t accustomed to. They used to have a consistent talent advantage that allowed them to often overwhelm opponents. It covered up a lot of discipline issues and Shanahan’s questionable situation management. If they’re going to win this week, they need to stay true to the fundamentals, like they did on Sunday against the Bears.