Kyle Shanahan shares why it’s been hard for Brock Purdy to make a lot of progress in his third season

The San Francisco 49ers' up-and-down season has been defined by uncharacteristic mistakes at the most inopportune times. In Kyle Shanahan’s mind, the Niners' lack of execution late in games is the reason they are .500 and not a seven- or eight-win team.

The middling season isn’t limited to the quarterback. According to Sports Info Solutions metric “Total Points Earned,” which can be viewed as the NFL’s version of PER (Player Efficiency Rating), Brock Purdy ranks 17th this season, down six spots from last year.

Purdy’s situation isn’t nearly as ideal as in 2023. But the 49ers aren’t the only team dealing with significant injuries at the most critical positions. Some teams are without their QB1.

Looking through Brock’s box scores highlights the inconsistencies of the Niners' offense. Last week, against the Seattle Seahawks, he threw for 159 yards. The week prior, versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Purdy threw for 353 yards. If you go in two-game increments, you’ll find a similar theme.

Shanahan was asked on Wednesday if he feels Purdy has made the appropriate progress in his third season. Kyle pointed out how well Brock played when he hit the ground running and why the players around Purdy are equally as important to what he does:

“Yeah, it’s hard to make a lot of progress after the way he played last year and it was hard to make a lot of progress after the way he played seven games in his first year. So, I think Brock’s playing at the exact same level. I think there’s different circumstances around him.

Our team hasn’t been quite as good through this, but it’s been close to getting there, and close doesn’t matter. That’s why we’re five-and-five, but a couple plays here and there and I think we’re looking at it totally differently and that’s why we’ve put ourselves in the hole and that’s why we’ve made it a lot harder for ourself here at this back half.

But I still think it’s going to come down to the same stuff. I bet these next seven games come down to the fourth quarter, and we either get it done or don’t. We’ve got to find a way to get it done.”

It wouldn’t be a 49ers game if it didn’t come down to what happens in the fourth quarter.

To Shanahan’s point, it’s no coincidence that Purdy’s best games occurred when the team had its full complement of weapons or the offensive line kept him clean. We’ll talk more about the line later.

The narrative is different if the defense gets a stop on the second to last drive in Week 11 against the Seahawks.

Still, it’s fair to point out that Purdy left a handful of throws on the field last week. If the 49ers’ offense plans on returning to the unit we know they’re capable of being, they’ll need the quarterback to let it rip the way he did earlier in the season and the two previous seasons he was under center.