What We Learned As Brock Purdy Struggles, Cmc Shines In 49ers' Win Over Panthers

What we learned as Brock Purdy struggles, CMC shines in 49ers' win over Panthers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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Brock Purdy‘s second start since returning from a toe injury didn’t go as well as his first, but the 49ers still managed to pull out a 20-9 win over the Carolina Panthers on Monday night at Levi’s Stadium.

The fourth-year pro quarterback, who threw three first-half interceptions, was bailed out by running back Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers’ defense.

San Francisco improves to 8-4 with the win, while Carolina falls to 6-6, putting distance between the NFC playoff contenders. San Francisco remains in 7th place in the NFC.

The 49ers rode McCaffrey all night long against his former team. Carolina’s 2017 first-round draft pick carried the ball 24 times for 89 yards and one touchdown, while also catching seven passes for 53 yards.

Tight end George Kittle led the 49ers with 78 receiving yards on six receptions, while wide receiver Jauan Jennings caught five passes for 41 yards and one touchdown.

Purdy ultimately completed 23 of 32 passes for 193 yards and one touchdown to go with the three ill-advised interceptions. He finished with a 58.5 Quarterback Rating.

Here are Matt Maiocco’s takeaways from the 49ers’ prime-time win over the Panthers:

McCaffrey, early and often

The Panthers had not seen McCaffrey since the trade that sent him to the 49ers three years ago.

On Monday night, they saw enough of him on the first drive alone to make up for all that lost time.

The 49ers fed the ball to McCaffrey, who leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage. He had nine touches for 40 yards on the opening drive. San Francisco’s offense struggled for the rest of the first half, but McCaffrey got the team going on a 15-play, 72-yard drive that lasted 8:43.

The 49ers’ 7-0 lead was the definite highlight for the offense, and it was no surprise that coach Kyle Shanahan made a priority to get the ball into the hands of McCaffrey, who played his first 5 1/2 seasons in Carolina.

McCaffrey provided the 49ers with a 14-point lead late in the third quarter with a 12-yard touchdown scoring run.

Purdy picks aplenty

Purdy simply gave the Panthers’ defense too many opportunities to make plays. He must clean up the mistakes because the 49ers count on him to make the right plays.

Purdy became the first NFL quarterback to throw three interceptions in the first half of a game this season.

He was off-target on his first two picks, as Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson intercepted underthrown passes intended for Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall, respectively.

Horn undercut another pass in the deep middle intended for Pearsall for his second interception of the second half.

It continued an alarming trend for Purdy, who has thrown 23 interceptions in his last 21 games. He has 11 of his 34 career interceptions in his five starts on Monday Night Football.

49ers’ defense steps up

As much as the Panthers’ defense had Purdy’s number, the 49ers’ defense was even more stingy against Bryce Young and the Carolina offense.

The 49ers provided the Panthers with three takeaways in the first half. Still, it did not amount to much.

Safety Ji’Ayir Brown intercepted Young in the end zone to thwart the Panthers’ first scoring chance, which came after a Purdy interception.

The only points Carolina generated in the first half came on a 26-yard scoring drive that ended with rookie Ryan Fitzgerald’s 25-yard field goal.

The 49ers’ defense came through with a strong game to limit Young, running back Rico Dowdle and rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.

Late in the third quarter, Young did find McMillian for a 29-yard touchdown pass, but the Panthers couldn’t get any closer.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Brown picked off Young again, ending a promising Panthers possession.

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