49ers overreactions: Are Purdy, Shanahan unable to lead comebacks?

Should the 49ers’ blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas night change any opinions about the team that remains atop the NFC standings?

Perhaps.

We know the 49ers can be beaten. And we know they are not a lock to win their final two regular-season games and breeze through the NFC side of the postseason bracket.

It does not take reams of analytics material to figure out where things went wrong.

“I think when you turn the ball over five times, that’s usually what happens,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said a day after his team’s 33-19 loss to the Ravens.

“So you can’t have five turnovers and get none. And you can’t have over 100 yards in penalties.”

Tight end George Kittle said there was no reason to spend too much time obsessing over the team’s poor performance in their humbling loss to Baltimore.

“Disappointing, but it's not like the building's on fire,” he said. “Sometimes the ball doesn't bounce your way. A lot of tips. A lot of crazy stuff happened.

“So (I’m) not incredibly angry right now, just disappointed. I still think we have a pretty good football team.”

Angry? Disappointed? Disenchanted?

What best describes 49ers fans on this particular day?

This seems like the perfect time for some 49ers overreactions, and our followers on Threads (https://www.threads.net/@maiocconbcs) came through.

Brock Purdy amplifies all of Kyle’s coaching tendencies. Incredible when ahead. Cannot lead a comeback. (dchai)

Overreaction? Yes.

Perhaps the evidence is on your side . . . but we're not buying it.

We happen to think with the 49ers’ big-play ability, and with their many options as both a passing or running offense, the 49ers are set up better than most teams to come back.

The problem is they are rarely behind to test that theory.

The 49ers are 17-4 in regular-season games with Purdy as the starting quarterback, so it is difficult to find any fault in the team’s success during that time.

They had a comeback win over the Raiders late last season in which they trailed at the start of the fourth quarter. And they scored on a tie-breaking touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter of a playoff victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

The 49ers have four losses this season. So it goes without saying that they did not come back to win any of those games. But at Cleveland in Week 6, Purdy led the 49ers 52 yards down the field in the final 100 seconds to set up a potential game-winning field goal.

Kicker Jake Moody missed from 41 yards away, which does not take away from the fact that the offense did its job in order to come back to win the game.

We will not argue the 49ers have a much greater chance of winning games when they’re ahead throughout.

But because they have not fallen behind often does not mean they are incapable of coming back to win games.

Kyle was out-coached on Christmas. Still love him, but I don't understand why we aren't running the damn ball in the 1st quarter? (maxamillianm80)

Overreaction? No . . . and yes.

Do you want to know an easy trick for telling which team out-coached the other? Look at the scoreboard at the end of the game. There you have it.

The Baltimore Ravens’ plan worked, and the 49ers’ did not.

As far as the run-pass split, it was easy to see why the 49ers came out throwing the ball to open the game. The Ravens stacked the box on the first drive of the game, which allowed Purdy some opportunities to make plays.

Remember, Brock Purdy was the favorite for NFL MVP coming into the game, so he's no slouch.

And even after his disastrous Christmas night, he still leads the NFL with a 112.2 passer rating and a 9.7 yards per pass attempt.

We bet no 49ers fan was complaining when Purdy hit George Kittle on back-to-back pass plays of 58 and 13 yards to move to the Baltimore 15-yard line on their first drive of the game.

Then, Purdy made a poor decision about where to go with the ball based on the play call and the Ravens’ coverage. Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton made the interception in the end zone.

The 49ers had success with Christian McCaffrey. He gained 103 yards and a touchdown on 14 rushing attempts. Everything ties together in the 49ers' offense with the run game and pass games being intertwined.

But stuff happens, and it did on Monday night. The halftime show of the corgi races did not produce the only mess on the field at Levi’s Stadium.

But the bottom line is Shanahan has every reason to have confidence in Purdy and the passing game. Nothing that happened Monday night should change that.

Purdy is a decent backup QB playing with an A+ offense. (wizjinx)

Overreaction? Yes.

Purdy has been the best quarterback on the field in nearly every game he has played this season.

He out-played all of the former No. 1 picks he’s gone up against this season, and he was better than Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts in those decisive 49ers victories against Dallas and Philadelphia, too.

On Monday, Lamar Jackson was great. Purdy was bad.

Purdy is still on pace for a record-setting season. He is currently tied for the 17th best single-season passer rating in NFL history and No. 8 all-time in yards per attempt.

He is not just along for the ride; he is steering the vessel.

Brock Purdy’s vision of the field was atrocious, at least in comparison to his usual abilities. He was rushed at times but he was a turnover machine. (mikeearle31)

Overreaction? No.

His split-second decision-making has been so good since he took over as quarterback that he has spoiled everyone into believing he is darn near infallible.

It was difficult to believe he threw four interceptions on Monday night. But Nick Bosa pointed out something else that is even more unique.

“I think it’s unbelievable how he’s played for the past two years,” Bosa said. “Just being a young rookie last year, it seems like he’s immortal out there. But no one is immortal.

“He’s responded from not his best performance before and I think he will do that again.” 

49ers O-line is their Achilles heel. (nathanmwilliams)

Overreaction? Yes.

The 49ers have one of the better offensive lines in football, and few of their issues on Monday night were the result of poor play from that unit.

In fact, the offensive line did a credible job Monday night against a Ravens defensive front that is designed to create confusion pre-snap and take advantage of any hesitations with the pass protection.

The 49ers’ offense averaged 6.3 yards per offensive play and gained 429 total yards. In comparison, Baltimore averaged 5.4 yards per play.

Of the many things to be criticized about the 49ers on Monday, we’re not even sure the team’s offensive line is worthy of a mention.

However, now there are some health concerns for the team heading into Week 17 at Washington.

Left tackle Trent Williams has a groin injury, left guard Aaron Banks exited after aggravating a toe injury, and backup tackle Jaylon Moore is in concussion protocol.

The 49ers might face a test to piece it together when they return for their next game, as they travel cross-country on a short week.

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast