The San Francisco 49ers picked up their third consecutive defeat this season against the Cincinnati Bengals. Analysts including Skip Bayless have raised concerns about “Mr. Irrelevant” Brock Purdy. In his forthright style, Bayless had some harsh takes on the 49ers QB who has now fallen to 9th place in MVP odds.
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In his latest edition of ‘Undisputed’, Skip Bayless made it clear that Brock Purdy was not an elite recruit in the first place. As the 49ers face a rough patch, he is apparently starting to show signs of why he has an under-the-radar status.
Brock Purdy’s Concerning Turnover Trend
In his commentary on the falling position of Purdy in the MVP odds, Skip Bayless reiterated his earlier assessment of him. In his time on the ‘Undisputed’, Bayless could stop but discuss his plummet to ninth place, a steep fall from his earlier top-five positioning, and even the top position at one point.
“And now Brock Purdy has fallen all the way to 9th in the MVP odds. He was the first and he has fallen to ninth. So he is pretty much falling completely out of it,” said Skip Bayless.
Further into the conversation, he noted that Purdy is starting to resemble the player who earned the title of Mr. Irrelevant at the draft.
“He is starting to look little more like the guy who was known as Mr. Irrelevant because he was the last pick in the draft. He is starting to look little more like the guy I kept describing to you because I watched him a lot.
Skip Bayless came well prepared with the list of similarities between the alleged ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ and Brock Purdy. This list was topped by Purdy’s propensity for taking risks even in the face of failure which can pose a . Iterating the same, he added,
“And I would state, he was kind of this gutsy over achiever. Had an okay arm. But not a great one, but he battled, he scrapped, he tried, he risked. Sometimes he failed. But he would just keep on fighting and keep on risking. And now if you can keep on risking at this level, bad things can happen especially when you’re behind in the fourth quarter.”
.@RealSkipBayless on Brock Purdy’s 3-turnover game in loss vs. Bengals:
“He’s starting to look a little more like Mr. Irrelevant. If you keep on risking at this level, bad things can happen.” pic.twitter.com/N1YwBkrxNm
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) October 30, 2023
Bayless seemed sure that Brock Purdy has continued the same methods since his draft. While risk-taking is important, it should be discontinued in crucial situations like the fourth quarter, according to Skip. Purdy scrambled around more than usual during the Bengals game, perhaps owing to the time he spent in the concussion protocol. As Skip mentioned, he displayed a concerning pattern of turnovers, tossing two interceptions in quick succession and also fumbling the ball.
During the initial five games, where San Francisco emerged victorious, Purdy threw nine touchdowns without a single interception. However, in the recent three games, all resulting in losses for San Francisco, he struggled, throwing five interceptions compared to just three touchdowns. This worrisome streak has understandably brought into question his merit when not surrounded by his weapons Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel.
The San Francisco 49ers Defense Needs Help
Richard Sherman while accepting that the San Francisco 49ers have lost quite a bit also mentioned other factors in play. He chose to take a different view to Skip Bayless, addressing other problems in the team.
“The defense hasn’t played well enough under Steve Wills, there’s going to have to be some adjustments there.”
He also added a detailed assessment of Purdy, commenting that there is room for growth:
“I think Brock Purdy needs to learn from this. He needs to learn when to eat the ball and when to try to make these passes. But I think everything is correctable.”
49ers suffer 3rd straight loss, @RSherman_25 says it’s time to make some adjustments:
“The defense hasn’t played well enough, turnovers by Brock Purdy, these are bad losses but I think everything is correctable.” pic.twitter.com/6iCRWE1bPt
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) October 30, 2023
While the Cincinnati Bengals have now ripped three wins, it is a mix of factors that contributed to the 49ers’ loss. Brock Purdy suffered two interceptions and a fumble, with a last pick that gave away two points to the opponents. His completion rate remained normal with 22 out of 31 passes going through. However, the defense struggled against Joe Burrow who looked healthy in the matchup and led his team to touchdowns.
What happens next is based on the Niners’ take in their bye-week. However, this gives them the awaited break to make a comeback.