Every San Francisco 49ers fan watching the Monday Night Football game against the Carolina Panthers was just waiting for this one to be over. The positives were mostly on the defensive side of the ball as the Niners came away with what ended up being an ugly win.
A week after returning from injury, quarterback Brock Purdy turned the tables on his box score. Last week, Purdy tossed three touchdowns in his first game since Sept. 28.
Against the Panthers, though, he threw three interceptions -- all coming in the first half.
After the game, running back Christian McCaffrey was asked by reporters if he says anything to Purdy following the mistakes he made during the game. His response was hilarious -- but right on point.
"No, absolutely not," McCaffrey said. "He's as poised (as they come) ... nobody needs to tell him anything. It's like, if I make a mistake or I have a drop, you know, somebody says, 'catch the ball!' It's like, I just want to knock them out."
Christian McCaffrey isn't having the Brock Purdy overreactions and neither is Kyle Shanahan
"There's really nothing to say. It's a long game and anything can happen. You don't say anything to him," McCaffrey finished.
McCaffrey wasn't the only one who didn't seem fazed by Purdy's missed throws. Head coach Kyle Shanahan didn't seem thrown off when he spoke to sideline reporters at halftime, and he wasn't thrown off after the game.
“He just had three throws he’d love to take back. They were all three good decisions. He was just a hair late on them, and when you’re a hair late on stuff, you can’t throw it behind them. He threw it behind them, and all three guys made him pay," the head coach told reporters.
This is definitely the right mentality to have, for now, at least.
The obvious question becomes, if Purdy continues to struggle like this, do the 49ers go back to Mac Jones?
Boy, would that be quite a scene.
In the end, Shanahan isn't afraid to do what's necessary. He has always abided by the rule that you play the best players, regardless of draft pedigree or how much is on each paycheck. He plays no favorites, and 49ers fans have to love and respect that about him.
Hopefully, this was just an anomaly and Purdy is able to bounce back. If not, we'll have a real situation on our hands.