2024 NFL Regular Season: Vikings vs. Lions SNF Showdown!

yep

Julio Jonesesque

Saleh on the field at GB practice today

Red rocket with a thumb injury. Sorry heels getting the start. The irony is that rocket's thumb injury is from a car accident yesterday.

Let's see if sorry heels has learned anything.

Should've been starting at least since last week. You got your win with Dalton and he has been pretty awful since.

Dalton hasn't played well the last few games. Bryce is still way worse.

It doesn't matter. Either Bryce Young is so bad and continues to improve your draft position or maybe he develops into something. There's no trade value for him, so letting him sit on the bench is absolutely useless.

Playing Dalton makes zero sense at this point. You got two good games out of him and he is getting worse every week since.

It does matter.

Playing Bryce makes it impossible to evaluate the rest of the offense. Dalton is at least serviceable. The defense is going to make sure we lose either way. We don't need to be worried about draft position being affected by playing Dalton instead.

We also have a first year head coach trying to find his way.

There is a lot more to the organization and team than throwing Bryce to the wolves hoping he might improve from historically bad to just terrible.

ETA: Last week Bryce had an opportunity to play with 5 mins remaining in the game. He played one series, and we went 3 and out. On 3rd and 5, he checks down to Sanders for what ends up being a 6 yard loss. He wasn't even under that much pressure. In a game we were losing 40-7, he didn't even think about trying to throw it past the sticks. It's over.

just in case anybody needs a visual reminder of who we're talking about here

yes

an NFL team took this player w the first overall pick in the draft

Dalton has done nothing either to evaluate your offense. Diontae is really good? Yeah we knew that. Legette? You just drafted and hasn't been much with either QB. Everybody else? Who ****ing cares? This team is almost completely expendable. They got rid of most of their players worth a damn like DJ and BB.

So who are we trying to actually evaluate here? The line is the only really important part except for a rookie or two, and it doesn't matter who plays QB to evaluate that.

You don't think QB play affects how the line looks and performs? We'll have an offseason decision on Ikem's 5th year option. We have a rookie 2nd round RB who is about to start easing his way into the mix.

Canales is also being evaluated here.

On top of playing poorly, Bryce has no confidence. If that's the case, what's the point? Throwing him out there to continually be bad isn't going to help anyone.

This organization has been one of the worst for 5+ years now. At a point, you have to make changes. There are inflection points, and benching Bryce was one of them. He's not it.

The selling point on Bryce being able to overcome his size and lack of athleticism was processing and creativity. He has shown none of that in 18 NFL starts.

To an extent. You have tape to evaluate their play, so don't even have to look at raw stats. But I don't think it really matters when the team is in poor situations with either QB since they are losing frequently.

Yes, one of the few players who will need to be evaluated, but I don't think QB play will also affect this one that much.

Indeed. But Tepper will make rash decisions regardless.

Then he shouldn't even be active. Cut him or trade him. Why is he even on the roster? He's not gaining confidence staying with this team or organization.

I don't think he's it either. No one really does. The thing is, unlike most sunk costs, the alternative doesn't offer anything at all. Bryce Young could be something. Andy Dalton could easily retire after this year.

The other side of the spectrum is the Browns where we've actually seen enough of Deshaun Watson based on what he was and where he is now. Their defense was very good last year and looks pretty good this year. That's a sunk cost where they should've moved on weeks ago and completely blew a season.

I’m with Heels on this.

heels def right. there's no point in playing Bruce. doing so is a disservice to every facet of the franchise

ANY/A

Dalton: 4.92

Bruce: 1.68

Sk%

Dalton: 4.19%

Bruce: 9.72%

there is no chance of the offense functioning w Bruce on the field. what is the point?

All I'll say is, the career outlooks for guys like Goff, Darnold, and Geno Smith were once almost as bad as Bryce Young's now.

Apparently there's some trade interest in him as a reclamation project. The Panthers should definitely be pursuing that.

He’s also boring and speaks without any passion, like he’d rather be anywhere else.

For every Goff (not sure I’d include him), Geno, and Darnold, there’s way more Lance, Z Wilson, Trubisky, etc.

I have no idea what might have been offered for Bryce, but I doubt it’s any better than the Z Wilson comp, so they probably figure, what’s the point? At least he’s not causing controversy in the locker room.

The Panthers will be down bad until Tepper changes his ways (highly unlikely) or whenever he eventually sells or dies.

I envy the Commanders, at least so far, for the ownership group they ended up with.

Here's the best advice you'll ever get: be rich and white.

wait til you take a gander at what's hidden behind the sidelines

also on the side for heeling
blue tick not withstanding

the price will be right for some franchise, hopefully he's not permanently broken by then

Darnold (27), Goff (30), and Geno (34)
finding the correct offensive fit is important
sometimes takes a bit of trial and error but if you can afford the payroll long enough for a payoff it's worth the effort

DM'd SRM to see if he had an interest in this Mike Sando paywalled Athletic article and he said yep

told him i'd drop it here, as it covers a Purdy related topic SRM recently broached over the past week or so

tldr, SF has a major decision coming up (ldo) whether or not to drop the $60mm/yr bag on Purdy

- - - - - - - - - -

The 49ers’ shrinking window and how Brock Purdy fits (or might not)

Sunday provided an extreme example of what the San Francisco 49ers can look like, at their worst, with Brock Purdy left to fend for himself on offense.

Star running back Christian McCaffrey remained out. Starting receiver Deebo Samuel fell ill shortly before kickoff and lasted three snaps. The other starting receiver, Brandon Aiyuk, suffered a likely season-ending knee injury shortly before halftime.

If Purdy had carried the 49ers past the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs with all that stacked against him, what else would remain for him to prove? That Purdy tossed three interceptions in a dreary 28-18 defeat might not change how the 49ers feel about their QB.

But the moment does provide an opening to consider the 49ers’ future as they move closer to the day when the 2024 season ends and Purdy becomes eligible for a massive contract extension.

“It could get tricky for them,” an exec from another team said.

The Pick Six column leads with the 49ers’ future in light of their 3-4 start to the season and important decisions that await. The full menu:

• Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ future
• A new Deshaun Watson conversation
• NFC North fallout: Lions, Vikings, Pack
• Jerry Jones is no Al Davis (that’s a good thing)
• Saints’ cap problems aren’t cap problems
• Two-minute drill: Tomlin’s QB decision

1. The 49ers are 3-4 and suffering from injuries that could threaten their championship window. What happens when they pay Purdy?

Purdy and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes combined for zero touchdown passes and five interceptions Sunday. It was possibly a one-off game for both teams, unless the 49ers have reached a breaking point with injuries, which is possible.

Before Sunday, this 49ers season was largely a testament to Purdy’s ability to produce in an offense lacking McCaffrey, who remains sidelined indefinitely. Purdy was scrambling more and completing longer passes into tighter windows, which some saw as evidence that he’s more than just another system quarterback in a Kyle Shanahan offense.

Yes, Purdy struggled against the Chiefs’ man coverage schemes without McCaffrey, Aiyuk and Samuel there to help him (Aiyuk dropped a long pass at one point). But he has shown an ability to produce without all of his weaponry available.

The table below compares Purdy’s career production with and without McCaffrey on the field, provided either Aiyuk or Samuel was on the field when McCaffrey was not. This seemed like a fair way to measure Purdy’s production without McCaffrey, who is an elite game-plan consideration, provided Purdy still had at least one of his starting receivers.

The numbers are barely distinguishable.

Purdy career stats: McCaffrey on/off field

Even the best quarterbacks require a baseline level of weaponry to operate. Purdy likely dipped below that baseline Sunday against a very good Chiefs defense.

The larger trend is clear. Purdy’s production through 34 regular-season and postseason starts outpaces the production of his predecessor, Jimmy Garoppolo, under Shanahan. While the 49ers led the Chiefs by 10 points in separate Super Bowls with each of these QBs in the lineup, only to lose, Purdy has been demonstrably better.

That’s all fine, but what happens if, two years from now, Purdy is earning $55-60 million per year and San Francisco no longer has the roster to support him?

There are early signs the 49ers could be trending in that direction.

The 49ers could have decisions to make at receiver. Aiyuk and Samuel have option bonuses due in March; Aiyuk’s is guaranteed, while Samuel’s is not. The gap between the start of the league year and when those bonuses are due could provide a trade window before the bonuses hit the 49ers’ cap. Aiyuk’s knee injury could complicate things, but it’s fair to wonder what the longer-term future holds.

Left tackle Trent Williams is year-to-year at age 36. Tight end George Kittle, 31, will be in a contract year next season and could have leverage with a higher cap number.

San Francisco’s roster this season is the NFL’s third-oldest by snap-weighted average age. The Chiefs’ roster, in contrast, is the third-youngest by the same measure. That reveals which team is set up better for the long term.

While the Chiefs were restocking their defense through the draft in recent years, using first-round picks on cornerback Trent McDuffie and defensive end George Karlaftis, the 49ers were trading away a haul of picks in the ill-fated move to acquire Trey Lance.

San Francisco has funneled cash into its defense, signing Javon Hargrave (who is out for the season with a triceps injury) for $21 million per year. The 49ers have also hit on mid- and late-round picks. But they still have the NFL’s oldest offense and eighth-oldest defense, weighted for playing time.

“That is probably San Francisco’s biggest issue,” a different exec said. “They are starting to feel three first-round picks for Trey Lance. They have done a good job drafting with later picks. It is great they got Purdy. He makes up for one of those first-round picks, but not two others.”

Execs around the league have anticipated the 49ers extending Purdy’s contract in the coming offseason — his first time eligible for a new deal — even though Purdy is signed through 2025.

“They need to make a decision about whether they should just be moving on from this older core and building around Purdy, or do they trade Purdy, get stuff for him and go with a cheaper option at quarterback?” another exec said.

Wait, what?

Purdy is one of 45 quarterbacks to make at least 10 starts since 2022. He ranks first among them in passer rating (107.9), yards per pass attempt (9.2) and EPA per pass play (.214).

Who would trade a young quarterback as productive as that? The answer, so far, has been nobody. The exec was merely suggesting that Purdy, while good, does not belong in Tier 1 or the top of Tier 2, and that other teams in similar situations might have been better off, in retrospect, swinging trades than paying top dollar for their quarterbacks.

The Los Angeles Rams with Jared Goff, the Miami Dolphins with Tua Tagovailoa, the Dallas Cowboys with Dak Prescott and the Minnesota Vikings entering their final season with Kirk Cousins were among the examples he cited.

“It’s about being a guy being a dude, and Purdy is not in that ‘dude’ category,” the exec said.

The more likely scenario: Purdy and the 49ers reaching an agreement on an extension before the 2025 season.

“When you have a head coach that has the vision, you know what it is going to look like in the future,” another exec said. “Having the quarterback signed adds to the predictability. You are able to navigate. A lot of other things fall into place, and you can continue to build it as the cap increases.”

There’s much to consider. The 49ers are home against the Cowboys in Week 8, followed by a bye and, two days later, the Nov. 5 trade deadline.

“A lot of people would trade their situations with San Francisco,” the exec added. “They just aren’t as deep as they typically have been.”

honest question without disputing anyting, how many starting nfl qbs do as good or better in a similar situation

his avg yards per attempt is insane. no one else is doing that

I don’t want to pay Purdy 60M

But the 49ers might have to.

There are multiple reasons a young roster in NFL is a plus. The challenge is to keep a foundation of high $ players while building around that with less expensive talent. And keep doing it year after year.

IMO KC has done very well in this regard. Bill's are trying and might get it this year. Rams are in rebuild mode and we'll see how that goes. Pretty obvious 9ers not doing so good staying young.

I think part of it is the leverage these QBs have over the teams. Only a handful of people on this planet can be very good/great QBs. The 49ers really don’t have a legit pathway to easily replace Purdy with anyone even close to his level.

you know these player's salaries don't come from thin air. they come from $1k tickets, $10 beers. $100 parking. military sponsorships that don't allow descendants of slaves to take a knee during the anthem, big oil sponsorhips, Dems and repubs ads, who are literally colluding to fight against democracy.

all teams should be seized, owned, and operated by the people. profits should go to the public good