Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Monday, January 30th, 2022
Thompson: The 49ers’ fellowship of heartbreak writes a new chapter (paywall)
“On the 49ers’ sixth offensive snap of the game, Purdy ran a play-action and dropped back. His target, Brandon Aiyuk, was coming open. Purdy thought he was about to hit him for a big play. He had no idea the writers from Final Destination were about to script out the rest of the 49ers’ season.”
“The main concern with a UCL injury is Tommy John surgery. Former 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens suffered a UCL injury in 2020 and was initially expected to need that surgery….Doctors later found less damage than initially suspected and Mullens became the first quarterback to repair the injury with an internal brace in his elbow as opposed to full reconstruction. The 49ers will hope for a non-surgical rehab for Purdy.”
Shanahan explains why 49ers didn’t challenge DeVonta Smith catch that led to touchdown
“The replay we saw didn’t definitively show that [he dropped it],” Shanahan said. “I was gonna throw one anyways just to hope to take a chance but they showed one up on the scoreboard that didn’t have all the angles you guys saw. And that looked like a catch. So we didn’t wanna waste the timeout — which we definitely would have if we didn’t see that — but then I heard they got a couple other angles and you guys ended up seeing later that it was not a catch.”
“Yes, the 49ers can get right back to this position again next season and the season after that and maybe a few more after that. Purdy is established as their likely starter going into training camp. They have Lance as the backup and potential competition. They can and probably should bring in a veteran QB and, given the rash of injuries at that position, how about five or six more QBs?…They have Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Arik Armstead and Charvarius Ward all under contract. They have Trent Williams, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, McCaffrey and others. They have Shanahan. He’ll probably have to replace defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who seems set to get a head-coaching job soon, but Shanahan has been very good at picking DCs. Still, there might be key injuries next season and the season after that. Maybe the chemistry will be different. Maybe some careers will take a turn. You just don’t know.”
Silver: For an instant, Christian McCaffrey’s improbable TD run made 49ers victory seem possible
“It felt like once Purdy got hurt, someone at the league called down and said, ‘Make sure the Eagles get to the Super Bowl, and not them,’” one Niners player told me. I’m withholding his name because he would prefer to keep his money, rather than paying a fine to the NFL.”
Barrows: Brock Purdy’s injury delivers brutal finishing blow to 49ers’ season (paywall)
“What the 49ers know for certain is that their team, the most talented roster Shanahan has had since he took over in 2017, won’t look the way it did this season with Garoppolo, tackle Mike McGlinchey, kicker Robbie Gould and defensive back Jimmie Ward leading a long list of free agents.”
49ers QBs Brock Purdy, Josh Johnson go down in loss vs. Eagles
“According to Shanahan, the Niners stuck with Purdy despite his inability to throw because they could at least stay in their normal run game. They also planned to work McCaffrey in as a Wildcat quarterback. That never happened because the Eagles, knowing Purdy couldn’t throw, began putting six defenders on the defensive line and loading the box to stop the run.”
Lombardi: What’s next for the 49ers defense following a devastating NFC title game loss? (paywall)
“After the Super Bowl, I felt the same way about (Joe) Staley and a lot of guys on the O-line that you kind of have an idea that they’re not going to get another shot at it,” Bosa said after Sunday’s game. “I feel the same way about the older guys here like Trent that have just done everything right and should get rewarded for it, but it’s a really tough league.”
Branch: 49ers bullied and beaten by Eagles, fall 31-7 in NFC title game (paywall)
“S— happened,” Kittle said. “How are you going to respond to it? That was my message the entire game. What do you want us to do? Roll over and die? I’m going to go out there and hit someone in the face as hard as I can.”
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