The San Francisco 49ers can look like two totally different teams. With Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle all healthy, they are nigh unbeatable.
When one of them is hurt, Brock Purdy looks mortal.
With Kittle and Aiyuk both missing a rivalry game against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11 due to injury, San Francisco needed Purdy to dial it up a notch and play above his usual standard. As is disturbingly often the case without his running mates active, Purdy and San Francisco did not answer the call.
Not only did the 49ers fall to 5-5 in a 20-17 defeat to the Seahawks, but losing via a Geno Smith game-winning scramble is a gut punch. The 17 points they scored in this game became the first instance since 2018, when Nick Mullens was the quarterback, in which Kyle Shanahan failed to break 20 points against Seattle.
Without Kittle and Aiyuk in the fold, and with Jauan Jennings effectively becoming the team's new No. 1 wide receiver in terms of target share, it's clear that Purdy has some limitations in his game that will make it tough for San Francisco to get back to the Super Bowl.
The Seahawks haven't held a Kyle Shanahan-led Niners offense to under 20 points since 2018, when Nick Mullens was the QB.
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) November 18, 2024
Big moment for the Mike Macdonald era.
49ers' loss to seahawks shows how Brock Purdy struggles without George Kittle
Purdy is a solid quarterback in the NFL, but he has arm talent limitations that could come back to haunt him at inopportune times. Anyone can operate in an offense where Deebo Samuel is the fourth-best skill position player, but the margin for error is reduced when Aiyuk and Kittle are both out.
Seattle's defense is fresh off releasing one of their starting linebackers and just a few weeks removed from multiple passing game shredding. What could have been a perfect get-right game for the 49ers has been a nightmare, so much so that it calls into question the ceiling of this team in 2025 and beyond.
Part of why the offense has been this good in the last few years is the fact John Lynch can add stars around Purdy while he is making no money. Once he gets extended, a deal that likely will cost upwards of $50 million per season, the talented playmakers will start to flake away.
Purdy is an effective passer when everything is cooking, but he can vary wildly when everything isn't set up perfectly. The 49ers should move forward with him, but they need to be realistic about how much he can provide with his arm alone.