49ers news: Is there more pressure on Brock Purdy with playmakers out?

The San Francisco 49ers are already beginning to face the injury bug to start the season, as they placed running back Christian McCaffrey on Injured Reserve, while wide receiver Deebo Samuel will miss a few weeks with a calf strain.

After a blowout victory in Week 1, the 49ers offense didn’t look as strong in Week 2, putting together just 17 points, with quarterback Brock Purdy committing two turnovers in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

San Francisco is still looking to put everything together on that end, but there has been a lot of discourse around the 49ers and their ability to compete with the talent they have, even with a few injuries.

Is there more pressure on Brock Purdy to elevate the team with multiple playmakers out?

Head coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t believe so. Instead, he doesn’t want his quarterback thing that he has to do too much, rather relying on the talented team to get the job done.

“We never ask Brock to really do too much. We ask him to do the play that’s called,” Shanahan said. “If nothing’s there, what are your options after that? You scramble, you throw things away. Sometimes you take a sack. Things you always try to do is not turn it over, but nothing really changes when you’re missing guys. Game plan can sometimes change, but not what you ask the quarterback to do.”

While the quarterback’s responsibilities don’t change much, has Shanahan had to change the playbook and call different plays without stars like McCaffrey (and now Samuel) not available?

“I’d say, we still have the same amount of plays. Just somewhat different styles of plays, different people in different spots,” Shanahan said. “You eliminate some special things that you would only do for those guys, but the number doesn’t change. Just, there’s things those guys do very well. Nothing other guys can’t do. But there’s kind of different percentages on how much you call them and things like that.”

The offense didn’t look the part in Week 2, but there isn’t any reason to worry just yet, as opportunities were there to capitalize on.

But, like it or not, this season, and especially these next few weeks, is a big assessment point for Brock Purdy, as the 49ers have a major decision after the year whether to hand him a massive contract. Overall, as quarterbacks have earned those bigger extensions, we’ve seen teams look to lean on their signal-callers to carry the teams with lesser talent around them, just due to the fact that there’s not as much money to go around.

Purdy could have to deal with a similar issue down the line, should he get his major extension, so these next few weeks could provide a sneak peek of how he plays without the two players that many consider as the heartbeat of the 49ers offense.

In good news, the 49ers have a favorable schedule for their offense over the next few weeks, as they’ll face the Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, and Arizona Cardinals, with the latter two games coming at home.