What the 49ers said after beating the Buccaneers
49ers win at home as pass offense runs hot, defense turns over Baker Mayfield
On Sunday, the 49ers defeated the Buccaneers 27-14 thanks to Brock Purdy and the passing offense.
Purdy completed 21 of 25 passes for 333 yards and three touchdowns. Brandon Aiyuk had five receptions for 156 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown catch-and-run. Christian McCaffrey rushed for 78 yards on 21 attempts to lead all rushers.
However, All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga went down in the third quarter with a knee injury. Ji’Ayir Brown, his replacement, made an endzone interception that helped seal the victory.
Here’s what coach Kyle Shanahan and some key 49ers said as they enter a short week ahead of Thanksgiving in Seattle on Thursday night:
Kyle Shanahan
On Hufanga’s injury:
Genuine concern. We don’t know for certain. It’s most likely ACL, but we can’t be sure, so we’ll find out later.
On Purdy’s game:
He performed admirably, in my opinion. He missed very few shots and did an excellent job of protecting the ball. We didn’t have any intentional groundings when there wasn’t anything there, and we did a good job moving the chains as well, especially at the end there on the keeper. He had a great game, in my opinion.
On Purdy’s approach:
Brock has been fantastic because he has remained consistent throughout. We’ve never felt anything different about Brock during those three defeats. I think he’s pretty realistic, so he doesn’t get into things that aren’t entirely accurate.
On risk of looking ahead:
I wasn’t worried about guys looking ahead. That is not the case for me. We had won one here in Jacksonville in the previous month, and it was a big one for us. I know our guys were dead set on this.
In terms of a quick turnaround:
As soon as we get out of here, we have to prepare for this quick turnaround, which is always a challenge and a challenge, but I’m glad we have three days off after this stretch.
Regarding Ji’Ayir Brown:
He did an excellent job. To lose a player like Huf from the game and then have him step up and make two huge plays, I mean, the pick was huge. And then on fourth down, you know where you get an all-out blitz and they just throw it up, and sometimes your biggest fear with they just throw it up, it’s like what happened to Buffalo on that Monday night, when it’s underthrown, it’s so hard not to get a PI, and for him to not PI the guy and to get back, and from what I saw, he knocked it down, that was a hell of a play.
Concerning the fourth quarter:
I thought our defense was fantastic. They kept returning us. Once you get the turnover on the first one, I wish we could have finished it. I’d like to score down there. I believe we went three and out. We should have run the clock out the next time, with two first downs. We went out of bounds twice, so I wasn’t happy, but I was so proud of the defense.
Regarding Brandon Aiyuk:
He’s been fantastic. It got a lot of attention because everyone in training camp was talking about the doghouse. I was just coaching and was a little perplexed. He was never in anyone’s good graces. Going back to those years, he was one of our best players halfway through that year and one of the main reasons we made it to the NFC Championship, and he got better last year and has gotten better this offseason. When you’re getting better, it doesn’t always show for a receiver because stats and results are dependent on a lot of outside factors. BA has been playing some good football for a while now, and it’s great to see him rewarded with those numbers.
On the 49ers’ ability to improve throughout the season:
I believe we have a lot of players who enjoy football. We work on it in terms of coaching and pointing out things. I believe that if our guys stay healthy, they practice and play more, and as a result, they improve as the season progresses. So I always expect us to look better as the game progresses than we do at the start.
Purdy’s comeback from three losses:
You never know until people go through it, but the movie was fantastic. I mean, the guy was incredible in those three losses. So there was nothing to be concerned about. You just have to make sure he doesn’t make stuff up that other people make up. So you just try to persuade him to stick with practice, the film, and what you’re doing.
On whether Purdy has any limitations:
Brock is a solid, really good quarterback, so… I’m not sure if he can run a 4.3 (40-yard dash) while doing a lot of Wildcat stuff, but everything we’ve asked him to do, I believe he’s done exceptionally well.
Arik Armstead
The key to victory:
Every game is crucial. The game you’re in is the most important of the season.
On whether the losing streak was a reminder of how difficult the NFL is:
Not a stern reminder. We got off to a good start, but you know how tough it is in the NFL, so we were reminded of that. But we can’t achieve our objectives or win a Super Bowl in October, and we want to be at our best in November, December, and January.
Regarding Brown:
That was fantastic, him stepping in halfway down and getting that huge pick to seal the game. I’m sure it felt good for him.
Fred Warner
On the phone with Brown:
To be honest, not much was said. It’s always a next-man-up situation.
Oh, Hufanga’s accident.
My thoughts are with Huff. Not sure what’s going on there, but they’re obviously worried about him right now.
Regarding Brown’s performance:
I can’t say enough good things about Ji’Ayir’s performance today and his readiness for his moment. That’s huge, because even though we were ahead in the game, being down in the red zone and making the plays that he did to help us get out of there speaks to how hard he’s worked and been prepared for this opportunity.
Regarding the cornerbacks:
They’ve made a name for themselves. I can’t say enough good things about it. I think the rush and coverage were obviously something that was discussed before the bye, how we needed to work together as a unit, and that’s been a point of emphasis. Guys have taken on larger roles.
Regarding the quick turnaround:
Thursday night is all about how quickly you can recover in order to play another game on such a short turnaround. In terms of what we’re putting in and preparing for, the gameplan will be smaller.
George Kittle
Regarding Ji’Ayir Brown:
Yes, I cook him once a week… When you’re a rookie, you’re just trying to figure it out because the NFL is so different from college football.
Regarding Brown:
I believe Ji’Aiyr is the type of person who listens to that: absorb a lot of information. e does the things that really good ballplayers do, such as taking care of your body, your mind, watching extra film, talking to your coaches about things, and then taking every day seriously in practice to try to get better. That is why he was set up for his chance today. I’m extremely proud of him.
Regarding the Seahawks:
Thursday Night Football and the Seattle Seahawks have me very excited. This is a short week. Respect to the Rams. Excellent work, gentlemen. Excellent work, Mike LaFleur. So grateful for them, but all that means is that Seattle will be a little irritated, and it will be a great game up there. It’s one of my favorite places to play and one of my favorite environments. They absolutely despise us, and I simply want a large fan base to despise us. It’s a lot of fun.
On Mayfield’s Bosa block:
I’m sure Nick was just hoping to avoid a penalty or fine for hitting a quarterback. And, yes, if it were up to me, I would probably avoid hitting Nick Bosa for your own health and safety.
Regarding Mayfield:
He’s a fierce competitor, as evidenced by his play, particularly this season with the Bucs. He’s having a great time.
Regarding the team’s performance:
We’re making progress, but there are aspects of our game that we need to improve on, such as getting penalties on first down. I always say that if you turn the ball over or have penalties on first and second down, it’s difficult to be a good football team. Our defense is currently playing at a high level, which allows us to possibly cover up those mistakes.
Concerning obtaining more red-zone opportunities:
We just have a lot of opportunities because of the way Brock handles the football and his ability to extend plays with his feet. He just keeps his eyes up and I feel like we’re going to be on the field for a long time.
Brock Purdy
On the perfect passer scale:
What an honor, but I still feel like there are some plays and things I wish I had back, so I’m not completely satisfied with just that. It was a great game with the guys around me, the coaching and playcalling and everything, so that’s really a testament to the team.
Regarding his two personalities:
I’m not sure if I have two sides, but when I get on the field and we’re making plays and stuff, I try to do whatever it takes to get the guys around me going, celebrating with them on some small victories and stuff. So I guess that’s when more of the personality shines through.
On the long journey to Aiyuk:
Only man coverage. He had to go out there and just tell him, you know, give him some time to beat his guy and then just put the ball up for him and try to lead him. He did an excellent job of winning man-to-man coverage. I thought to myself, ‘Man, that’s sweet,’ when we saw his guy fall down and BA catch it. You don’t get that many plays like that in a game, so it felt good for everyone, and BA deserves it, man. We’ve been wanting to get him a deep one for a while.
Regarding Brown:
I remember the first day, like in the summer, when we were working out and stuff, and he came up to me and started talking to me, and I was like, just from him talking, I could tell how mature he was. Sometimes, especially with rookies, they are overjoyed to be there and can be a little erratic. He was, however, very mature. I could tell this guy knows how to run a business and will have a successful career.
Changing one’s mindset after a loss:
I was more upset because it didn’t seem like we were complacent or anything, but rather that we were going to walk into the game and it would be handed to us in some way. I had to get back to (the mindset of) man, we have to go take it, we have to earn it every single game. It makes no difference who we play; it’s the NFL.
On Thursday’s game in Seattle:
We’ve reached the point in the season where every single game is crucial. It’s massive, and it’s in a hostile environment. And Seattle, with their great team, will be a great challenge for us, and we’re looking forward to it.
Nick Bosa
On Baker Mayfield’s block against Trey Palmer on the end-around:
That wasn’t him; that was No. 10’s speed, but I’ll give him that.
On his words to Mayfield following the game-winning interception:
No, he was complaining to the ref, and I informed him that there was no horsecollar in the pocket. He thought he’d been roughed up.
