Brock Purdy appreciative of McCaffrey, confident team steps up with absences

Oct 23, 2023, 6:00 AM | Updated: 9:47 am

Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates his rushing touchdown with Christian McCaffre...

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Sports Editor/Writer

Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ offense have been largely successful since he took over the starting job last season, and that’s in part to the addition of Christian McCaffrey.

The San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback was very complimentary of his running back leading up to Week 7. October 20th marked a calendar year since the Red & Gold traded for McCaffrey with the Carolina Panthers, giving up a boatload of draft capital in the process. And while some hated the move at the time, the results have been everything and then some, with CMC returning to his dominant self.

Now in Year 2 with the versatile weapon, Purdy is more than happy to praise his guy for the work he’s done on the 49ers.

Purdy describes how CMC has changed the dynamic of the 49ers' offense since being traded one year ago today pic.twitter.com/xKY5hwulAD
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) October 20, 2023

“Yeah, it’s been huge for us, just having a running back that can go out of the backfield and do all the things that a receiver can do,” Brock Purdy said Friday about McCaffrey. “Run routes from the backfield, line up as a receiver in the slot, and do stuff on the outside. He’s a Swiss Army knife, man. He does everything for us that we ask, and he does it really well, and he’s smart.

“It’s just another guy that the defense has to account for in the pass game. So that’s huge. And then obviously when he runs the ball and his toughness and everything, it’s on another level, very thankful to have him.”

Despite the appreciation, Purdy feels confident that the rest of the team could get by without Mccaffry for a game or two. And that may be the case this week, entering Monday Night Football as questionable with an oblique injury.

If the ballcarrier does miss time, the 49ers won’t panic, walking into Minnesota with the next man up mentality that won Purdy the starting job last year.

“Yeah, I think on their part, those guys will be ready just with the reps that they’ve gotten going in with the operational stuff. And yeah, simple as that. They’ll be ready” Purdy stated. “And even if, [wide receiver Deebo Samuel] and Christian are going, great for us, that’ll be awesome. But if they’re not, all the other guys have been preparing great. [RB Jordan Mason] JP, [WR] Ray-Ray [McCloud], [WR] Ronnie Bell, all those guys, they look great. We’ll be ready to roll for whatever comes.”

Thankfully, McCaffrey is a warrior, determined to play Monday night despite the pain.

Reports surfaced Sunday that the running back has a slight tear in his oblique, usually meaning a few games missed. That may not be the case this time around, showing up on the practice field to round out the week for the 49ers.

Officially listed as questionable, McCaffrey relayed that he’s feeling great six times to the media Saturday, much to Purdy and offenses’ delight.

“I feel great.”

CMC was in high spirits after practice today 😁 pic.twitter.com/6DBSBucaG0
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) October 21, 2023

But instead of being at full strength, the 49ers will be without left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) and WR Deebo Samuel (shoulder) for Week 7. The latter will be out even longer, dealing with a hairline fracture that will keep him off the field through the 49ers Week 9 bye.

So Purdy and McCaffrey are in a similar situation after all, still confident that the 49ers can step up when it matters most.

“I think everybody is going to have to step up,” McCaffrey said. “[Deebo Samuel] is such a dynamic player who can do so many things with the ball in his hands. We all got to step up.”