Despite walking away with a win on Sunday Night, the San Francisco 49ers didn’t look like a team cruising toward the playoffs. Their defense carried the night, while Brock Purdy delivered arguably the worst performance of his young career. That was enough for Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe to sound the alarm and call for the return of Mac Jones.
Shannon Sharpe Urges 49ers To Bring Back Mac Jones
Purdy threw three ugly interceptions in the first half, on three straight drives, and if not for a strong performance by the San Francisco defense, the outcome could have been very different than 20-9. Purdy’s passes appeared to lack velocity, floating in the air, and in tighter windows, it finally caught up to him.
If this is the version of Purdy the 49ers get week after week, their chances this season drop considerably. He faces a tougher matchup next week against the Cleveland Browns, in a hostile environment, against a team energized by its new quarterback, Shedeur Sanders.
There is no room for error against a team that racked up 10 sacks on Sunday against the Raiders, and Sharpe believes the 49ers should look elsewhere at quarterback.
“Mac Jones, get ready. Purdy is awful 2nite,” he wrote on X.
Jones went 5–3 as a starter in Purdy’s absence, throwing for 2,151 yards and 13 touchdowns while ranking 10th in PFSN’s QB Impact metric. Purdy is 3–1 this season, and while there are no questions about his status as the franchise quarterback, he still doesn’t look physically back to full strength.
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PFSN’s Pedro Narduchi noted after last week’s win over Arizona that Purdy likely needed more time to regain form, and Monday made that crystal clear. Purdy acknowledged the poor performance himself, saying he expects to rebound.
“Obviously, I don’t want to have that kind of performance. I’m an NFL quarterback,” Purdy said. “It’s all about how you prepare and move onto the next.”
Even on a night when Purdy struggled, the 49ers’ offense reminded everyone why it ranks near the top of PFSN’s Offensive Impact metric. They sustained drives, logging four possessions of 10-plus plays and six or more minutes each, and finished with 23 first downs. Their red-zone efficiency, converting over 62% of trips into touchdowns, still makes them dangerous even in ugly games.
The question isn’t whether Purdy is the long-term answer. It’s whether San Francisco should risk sending him into a brutal matchup if there’s even a slight concern about his health. If they need a steady hand against Cleveland, Sharpe argues, Jones might be the better option.
