Brock Purdy went from MVP favorite to 49ers concern in three quarters.
Purdy threw four interceptions in a 33-19 loss to the Ravens on Christmas night and left the game with his second stinger in as many weeks.
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan was optimistic that the injury would not force Purdy to miss any time as the 11-4 49ers try to hold on to the top seed in the NFC.
“He stayed in there, kept battling,” Shanahan told reporters after the game. “Our whole team struggled there in the second half, so it wasn’t just him.
“I know he was disappointed not being able to finish it there, but given that stinger again, I just wanted to keep him out of there. Ready for him to bounce back next week.”
Purdy was replaced in the fourth quarter by Sam Darnold, who threw a touchdown pass with San Francisco futilely trying to rally late.
“It’s the NFL,” Purdy said. “We have some opportunities coming up, and we still got two games left in the regular season before we get into playoffs. For me, [I’m] trying to look at the big picture of what we’re trying to do, what our team goals are. But at the same time, I have to look myself in the mirror and ask myself why or how that happened and why I made those decisions?
“Our team came ready to play, and for me to make some decisions like that … it’s not fair to these guys. I have to realize that and understand that, and I have to get better for my team.”
Purdy, who was the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, had been expertly running Shanahan’s offense with a bevy of dangerous weapons in Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk.
The question all season has been how much credit Purdy deserves, given the talent around him.
The 23-year-old had the 49ers on the move on their first drive of the game, but was picked off in the endzone by safety Kyle Hamilton.
Shanahan called that interception the “big mistake” of the night, but it was far from Purdy’s only one.
He was intercepted on two of the next three possessions and was constantly under pressure from a swarming Ravens defense.
“I got to ask myself, ‘All right, who are you?’” Purdy said. “‘What do you stand for? Who are you when things are good? Who are you when things don’t go your way?’ It’s easy to be riding high and thinking you’re the man when things are going well, winning games and all that kind of stuff. And you don’t really see a whole lot of adversity in some games and whatnot, and this is the reality of the NFL.
“I obviously have to look myself in the mirror, watch the plays ready to get better, make some cleaner decisions, help my team put up points and score and protect the ball. And when things don’t go my way, it’s understanding I can’t be acting out. I have to be real with myself and be better, but I want to be the same guy every day. I want to be consistent in what I do and how I do things; whether things are going well or not, I know who I am, and I’m not going to waver from that.”
The 49ers, who finish the season against the Commanders and Rams, are tied atop the NFC with the Eagles and Lions but currently own the tiebreaker.
Lamar Jackson, who threw two touchdown passes in an impressive performance, took over as the MVP favorite and has the Ravens at 12-3 with the best record in football.
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