The 49ers' back-to-back road losses to the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings put Brock Purdy on the first losing streak of his young NFL career.
Fortunately, San Francisco’s second-year quarterback has veteran teammates like Kyle Juszczyk to uplift him during his first rough patch within the win-loss column.
The veteran fullback appeared on KNBR’s “Murph & Mac Podcast” with Brian Murphy and Paul McCaffrey on Wednesday and was asked who Purdy can turn to for guidance during his first losing streak.
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“I take on a little bit of that,” Juszczyk explained to Murphy and McCaffrey. “It’s not just me. We have a lot of veterans on this team. So, he’s got a lot of guys he can lean on. We’re all quick to let him know this is the NFL, not everything is going to be perfect. We’re all going to make mistakes.”
Juszczyk is right to remain calm, as San Francisco is a team full of experienced players and coaches who are familiar with the grind of an entire NFL season.
Purdy being 12-0 in career regular-season games before the two losses also helps calm things down, as his 49ers teammates already know he’s a proven winner.
Juszczyk acknowledged that Purdy is in the middle of his first full season at the helm, which tends to be forgotten during discourse about the quarterback.
San Francisco 49ers
“At the end of the day, he’s still a young quarterback,” Juszczyk shared with Murphy and McCaffrey. “17 weeks is a grind, man. It really is. There are so many seasons within the seasons. We all still feel just as good about Brock as we did two weeks ago. We know that he can turn around and have an incredible game this week against [the] Cincinnati [Bengals].”
Purdy struggled in the two consecutive losses, throwing three interceptions and only completing 57.9 percent of pass attempts.
But it's recently come out that Mr. Irrelevant is in concussion protocol after taking a hit to the head during the 49ers' 22-17 loss to the Vikings, possibly a reason for some errant decisions.
Regardless of Purdy's availability to face Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8, his teammates are in his corner.
Inside San Francisco's locker room, amidst the losing streak, Mr. Irrelevant is still relevant and respected.