Purdy reflects honestly on state of 49ers after ugly loss

Purdy reflects honestly on state of 49ers after ugly loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The 49ers have all the talent in the world, but that doesn’t mean every game of the 2024 NFL season will come easy for them.

That certainly was the case in San Francisco’s 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, which featured errors on all fronts for the 49ers in a game they were favored to win.

After the game, quarterback Brock Purdy explained what he has learned from San Francisco’s first two games of the campaign — a hard-fought win over the New York Jets in Week 1, and Sunday’s sloppy defeat in Minneapolis.

“I mean, it’s just coming out and it’s as simple as executing,” Purdy told reporters. “We’ve got the players, we’ve got the scheme, we’ve got what it takes, and it’s dropping back and executing. Knowing where my answers are at and getting the balls into my guys hands and drop stepping and getting first downs, and it’s all of that.

“It’s football, man. Just because you’ve got really good players and a good scheme doesn’t mean the other team’s going to give it to you. You have to go out and earn it. We’ve had to learn that the first two games of the season, so hopefully we can be better next week.”

The 49ers’ offense got off to a slow start last Monday night against the Jets, but the team ultimately pulled out a dominant 32-19 victory in the season opener at Levi’s Stadium once things got rolling.

Purdy and Co. weren’t as fortunate against ex-teammate Sam Darnold and the Vikings, with San Francisco’s star-studded unit — minus an injured Christian McCaffrey — failing to get going as the game wore on and several breakdowns in other facets of the game costing the 49ers a 2-0 start.

Purdy completed 28 of 36 pass attempts for 319 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the loss, and he also lost a fumble when the ball slipped out of his hand as he was throwing. Despite his stat line coming out OK, Purdy and the 49ers were just 2 of 10 on third downs and 1 of 3 on fourth downs in the defeat.

Special teams also had a punt blocked, and the defense gave up the longest play in 49ers franchise history when Darnold connected with wide receiver Justin Jefferson on a 97-yard touchdown pass.

Success isn’t given, it’s earned — or so the saying goes. Purdy knows that all too well, especially after such a shockingly bad loss for a team that entered the season with very high expectations.

With a Week 3 game against their NFC West-rival Los Angeles Rams set for next Sunday, the 49ers now must return to the drawing board and fix their mistakes.