The 49ers desperately needed a victory on Sunday and they got just that over a sorry New England Patriots football team.
Never apologize for a win, boys.
Winners
Brock Purdy
The 49ers' offense has evolved right before our very eyes. Gone are the screen passes and check downs, here are the deep balls and precision strikes down the field.
Purdy had completions of 38, 45, and 53 yards on Sunday, with almost all of those yards coming through the air.
This wasn't just a one game thing, either.
As Rich notes in a later tweet, only 27.3% of Brock's yards so far have come after the catch, which is the lowest in the league. It's also about half as many as last season's 47.5% (16th in the NFL).
Whether it's a function of not having Deebo and CMC much this season or the next step in Brock Purdy's development is hard to say for sure, but Purdy has once again answered the bell and done what was required for his team to move the ball.
He's also continued to use his feet more and more this season without taking hits, which adds a dimension to this offense that is sorely needed - regardless of 23's presence in the backfield.
Jauan Jennings
Jennings led the 49ers in receiving for the third time in four games this season. Much like his quarterback, Jennings has adapted to fit the needs of the offense.
In years past, Jauan did the dirty work and caught short passes to move the chains on third down. This year he's grabbing the football deep down the field for explosive plays.
While it's unlikely that Jennings continues on this torrid pace if everyone returns to full health, just to give you an idea of how effective he's been this season:
More, please!
Fred Warner
Is there anything this man can't do?
Early in the game the 49ers' offense sputtered in the red zone. The first two drives ended with field goals inside the Patriots' 10-yard line. On the next series, Warner took matters into his own hands:
Warner has been a one-man wrecking crew so far in 2024. Through three and a half games (he missed the second half on Sunday with an ankle injury), Warner has accounted for 1 touchdown, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, 4 pass break ups, and a 17.6 passer rating when targeted.
One the season, Fred holds the highest PFF grade of any player in the entire NFL (95.9). The defense hasn't looked great as a whole for most of the year, and they'd look infinitely worse without Warner's weekly wizardry.
Losers
Brian Schneider
Schneider has found himself on this list too often this season.
While the obvious blunder was Isaac Guerendo's fumble on the opening kickoff of the 3rd quarter, there were other issues on Sunday as well that could have led to disaster.
The punt hang time and punt coverage was again below average, and it allowed the Patriots to gain decent-or-better field position on multiple possessions. In a game where turnovers and special teams were the only real threats to victory, Schneider's unit did almost all it could to help the opponent.
De'Vondre Campbell
Campbell has been the bizarro Fred Warner this season. I can't think of a single good play he's made in 2024.
Campbell earned the lowest PFF grade this week at 40.5, but more than that, I can't think of anything he does well at this point in his career. He can't rush the passer, he's a liability in coverage, and he misses tackles constantly.
Remember, De'Vondre wasn't the 49ers' first choice at linebacker in free agency. Eric Kendricks was the guy John Lynch wanted, but he decided to back out of his agreement and head to Dallas.
If Dee Winters was fully healthy, he'd also be the Niners' choice over 59.
The officials
Thanks to some god-awful calls, Brock Purdy became the first 49ers QB to throw for three touchdowns on one possession.
First, the refs flagged George Kittle for holding on a Jordan Mason catch-and-run. The Fox broadcast crew couldn't believe it.
Then, later in the drive the refs wiped out a brilliant Brock touchdown pass to Kyle Juszczyk due to an illegal shift that never happened. Again, the announcers were incredulous.
No one is perfect and the NFL is played at break-neck speed, but this was especially egregious. Bad calls that erase touchdowns change football games. Multiple bad calls that erase multiple touchdowns on the same possession simply cannot happen.
Throw in a pass interference penalty on Deommodore Lenoir while he was getting his jersey held by the receiver and it was a rotten day for the zebras.
Thankfully the 49ers were able to overcome.
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