Who's Hot and Who's Not after the 49ers Week 12 MNF Win
Brock, what you doin' bby?
Monday Night Football returned to Levi’s Stadium as the 49ers hosted the visiting Carolina Panthers in a matchup with playoff implications. What stood out good or bad in the 49ers 20-9 victory? Let’s dive in.
Hot
Ji’Ayir Brown
Brown has taken some criticism for his inconsistent play so far this year, but on Monday night he was easily the best player on the field. While he accounted for five tackles, four of which were solo, his biggest plays were easily his TWO interceptions! The first came early as the Panthers were in the red zone and threatening to score. His second pick came late in the game and essentially put the game away for the 49ers.
Jauan Jennings
The 2023 iteration of Jennings finally re-emerged on Monday night with five catches for 41 yards and one touchdown. His signature physicality was on display on his 12-yard touchdown as he shed three would-be tacklers with his back to the goal line as he then turned and raced to the end zone. We would see more of his physical style post-game, but we will get to that later…
Christian McCaffrey
McCaffrey had 31 touches on the night that included his 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. In the 49ers first possession alone, CMC accounted for nine touches proving he was going to be the workhorse for the 49ers offense. 89 yards on the ground and another 53 through the air, McCaffrey once again showcased his all-around ability against his former team.
Special Teams
Again this week special teams may have been the best unit that the 49ers put on the field. Skyy Moore had another long kick return of 43 yards, and rookie Nick Martin made his presence felt on kick coverage with two tackles, one of which caused a fumble. Newly signed kicker Matt Gay was 2/2 on his field goal attempts in relief of the injured Eddy Pineiro.
Lukewarm
Brian Robinson Jr.
Robinson continues to integrate himself in the offense with seven carries for 40 yards. His downhill running style is becoming more of a factor each week and will hopefully continue to extend McCaffrey’s shelf life. Kyle Shanahan still seems to be hesitant to give him more work, even running McCaffrey' late into the fourth quarter with the game largely in hand.
Bryce Huff
While his stat sheet isn’t that impressive with only tackles, Huff found himself disrupting Bryce Young’s timing and rhythm all night. He will need to continue to harass opposing quarterbacks as the 49ers continue their push towards the postseason, serving as by far the teams best available pass rusher.
Cold
Brock Purdy
Just one week removed from returning from his toe injury, Purdy had his worst outing since the 2023 Christmas night game against the Baltimore Ravens. His accuracy was off for the entire first half, tossing three interceptions to the Panthers. Hopefully Purdy will buy Robert Saleh a Toyota for Christmas as his defense was able to mitigate the damage by only allowing three points off of those turnovers.
Kyle Shanahan, at least on the surface, didn’t seem fazed. He mentioned that he liked the decisions, but just missed the throws. If that’s true, we can attribute that to rust. Against better opponents, Purdy can’t afford such mistakes.
Blows below the belt
The post-game handshakes went south quickly as Jauan Jennings made a bee line for Panthers safety Tre’von Moehrig to confront him for a cheap shot late in the game. Moehrig’s punch right to the Jennings family jewels after a play was uncalled for and dirty. Jennings was looking for a reckoning after the game, but the two were separated quickly. If spitting is cause for a one game suspension, it would make sense that Moehrig should have to miss some time for his actions.
Once a Raider, always a Raider.