Brock purdy and the 49ers just increased their NFC West lead over the Seahawks in Week 11, but it might have come at the price of Talanoa Hufanga.
Almost everything that could have gone right for the San Francisco 49ers in Week 11 went right.
Almost, that is.
The Niners pulled off a convincing 27-14 home victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, and while the Bucs put up a bit of a fight late in the game, San Francisco looked much more like a Super Bowl contender for the second straight week than anything seen during that three-game losing streak prior to the Week 9 bye.
When the 49ers are playing well, it generally means quarterback Brock Purdy is playing well, too.
49ers news: Brock Purdy dominant in win vs. Buccaneers
Purdy went 21-of-25 for 333 yards with three touchdowns against zero interceptions, all for a perfect passer rating of 158.3, becoming only the third Niners signal-caller to achieve the feat.
The others? Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Steve Young.
"I still don't really know what it means, honestly," Purdy responded when asked about passer rating as a stat.
Either way, Purdy is still etching himself into the record books.
And while the feeling around San Francisco should be good, the victory came at a cost.
49ers news: Talanoa Hufanga likely suffered torn ACL, which would end his season
In the third quarter, All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga attempted to make an open-field tackle on Buccaneers running back Rachaad White, except White juked Hufanga on the missed tackle.
Even worse, Hufanga's right knee appeared to buckle.
There was no major on-field incident immediately thereafter to suggest Hufanga suffered a serious injury. But he was seen moving into the blue medical tent and was subsequently carted off the field shortly afterward. The 49ers ruled him out for the remainder of the contest not long after.
Following the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that the injury is "most likely it's ACL but can't confirm it."
However, the accuracy of tests to diagnose a torn ACL on the field tends to be pretty accurate, although further examinations will determine the severity.
Hufanga was replaced by rookie defensive back Ji'Ayir Brown, who struggled early but came up big later in the game with a clutch interception in the end zone.
It's likely that Brown will be called upon to start for the rest of the year, if indeed Hufanga tore his ACL.
49ers news: Seahawks blow it vs. Rams, aiding Niners' hold on NFC West
Only rarely will Niners fans be Los Angeles Rams fans, but they were today.
LA was hosting the second-place Seattle Seahawks, who entered the week trailing San Francisco in the NFC West standings solely because the 49ers had a better division record, as both teams entered the week with identical 6-3 records.
Well, the Niners won. And the Hawks lost. In embarrassing fashion, nonetheless.
Jason Myers... NO GOOD pic.twitter.com/cVKgygcwZZ
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 20, 2023
You hate to see it, of course. Especially when the Niners already lost a game they could have won if a last-second field goal was good.
At 6-4, Seattle trails San Francisco by a full game and also trails in both division and conference wins.
Even more enticing is the fact both teams will play each other this Thanksgiving for a game that could determine the rights to the NFC West.