49ers QB Brock Purdy’s defiant take on Super Bowl chances amid endless injuries
The San Francisco 49ers moved to 7-4 with a 41-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11. Quarterback Brock Purdy got the start after missing the previous six games with an injury.
Purdy went 19-of-26 for 200 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in the lopsided win, and it's a positive sign for the 49ers.
Going into the game, Purdy admitted he felt good ahead of his 49ers return.
“I feel really good, feel healthy and excited to be back and ready to go and lead the guys,” Purdy said. “I'm really excited about this week. It's been a good week so far. … Obviously, we've got to finish out strong this week, but feel really good.”
After the game, Purdy spoke about the team's Super Bowl hopes, and he hasn't given up yet.
“No secret, we’ve had guys step up on defense, and have to play, whether they’re young guys or backups,” Purdy said, via Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “That’s part of it. They’ve done a great job. We’ve found ways to win. Offensively, we are getting healthier and getting back to our original starting roster, which feels great. We are confident in that. I think, as a whole, we have to find ways to win and play complementary football. When the defense gets stops, we have to go score as an offense. It can be done. I still really do believe we have everyone in the right spot for us to make a run and achieve our goals.”
The 49ers started Mac Jones in Purdy's absence, and the former first-rounder played pretty well. After the win over the Cardinals, the 49ers are behind the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, respectively, for the NFC West lead, but they are holding on to the final NFC Wild Card spot, at least for the time being.
While Purdy knows there is work to do, his solid outing in his return is a huge boost for the 49ers moving forward.
The 49ers next play against the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns before a Week 14 bye, so they should be able to win the next two weeks.
Lions' Tyleik Williams Dillema Isn't Going Away After Performance in Week 11
The days leading up to the Detroit Lions’ showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles were eventful for Tyleik Williams. The Lions’ first-round pick from last April’s draft began his week with Dan Campbell suggesting he needed to pay his dues and learn from the veterans in front of him before getting on the field. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard sang a different tune, suggesting Williams could see the field more beginning with Sunday night’s game.
Whatever conversations Campbell and Sheppard had regarding the rookie must have gone in the defensive coordinator’s favor. Williams turned in one of his best overall efforts of the season in the 16-9 loss to Philadelphia and could have earned more opportunities moving forward.
While the rookie's stock appears to be going up, it could come at the expense of Alim McNeill, who may have opened the door for Williams to steal more snaps and continue the dilemma for the coaching staff as they try to figure out how to get everyone involved.
Williams Reshaping Lions’ D-Line Rotation After SNF Showing vs. Eagles
The Lions are happy to have McNeill back as he returned quickly from a torn ACL suffered last December. While his return drew plenty of enthusiasm from Campbell, he hasn’t been able to reacclimate himself to the field, posting overall Pro Football Focus grades of 39.0 in a Week 9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and a 45.4 overall grade in a Week 10 victory over the Washington Commanders.
McNeill didn’t lose any of his snaps in Sunday’s game against the Eagles, but there’s an argument that the Lions should have held him back. A 63.2 overall grade was his highest since he made his debut in Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he was also inefficient in the pass rush, generating just one pressure on 32 pass-rushing snaps.
While Williams didn’t have more luck as a pass rusher with one pressure on 12 snaps, he made a big impact in the running game with a pair of run stops and a season-high 74.7 grade on 24 snaps.
Part of Williams's usage could have been due to the opponent, as the Eagles have a run-heavy offense featuring running back Saquon Barkley and dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts. But it’s also notable as his 36 total snaps were more than the past two weeks combined, and his most since he played 39 snaps in a Week 4 win over the Cleveland Browns
With Roy Lopez and DJ Reader also in the rotation, Williams made a case to stay there moving forward. While the Lions would probably like to keep using McNeill prominently, it makes more sense to get Williams more involved.
Having more bodies along the defensive line can only help the Lions moving forward and could provide the depth they didn’t have when their playoff run ended one season ago.
