49ers’ Brock Purdy still has something to prove

With the second half of football season upon us, ESPN asked some anonymous NFL executives who they think will end up winning each division. According to the people surveyed, San Francisco is still the favorite to take the NFC West, even after its rough three-game losing streak. However, the caveat is Brock Purdy’s possible inability to lead a comeback, according to an unnamed AFC executive.

“If they get behind and the QB has to throw a bunch, is he good enough to beat you?” the executive told ESPN. “The last few weeks have been a struggle in that regard.”

The Niners’ recent losses have certainly tanked the perception of Purdy’s standing as a top-level quarterback. Once the infallible feel-good story of the NFL, the 23-year-old has had more questions asked about his talent and ability throughout this skid. It certainly hasn’t helped that he struggled more once his elite supporting cast started to fall apart due to injury, giving credence to the “system quarterback” accusations. All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams and do-it-all receiver Deebo Samuel have missed the last two games, and Christian McCaffrey was unavailable for half of the loss to Cleveland three weeks ago.

At the same time, navigating any stretch of games without your best teammates would be difficult for any quarterback, not to mention that those struggles will be over soon. While Williams’ status is unknown, Samuel is set to return for Sunday’s game against the Jaguars. Getting one of the best players in the Niners’ offense back is just the thing Purdy needs to bounce back. As an unnamed NFL scouting official told ESPN, the only way the Niners can succeed is if everyone is fully healthy.

“Do you really panic when you have all of the guys [the Niners] have?” the official said. “They still have the best players. I think they know they need all of their pieces around Brock Purdy. When you start winning, you want to give your QB more, but then he struggles without his top guys. I don’t knock him for that — even the best need help. It doesn’t make him less valuable, but that’s the way the roster is constructed.”

That being said, the success apparently won’t lead to a Super Bowl, according to the executives. The “consensus” for a championship prediction came down to the Eagles and Ravens. It’s safe to say that coming up short in their latest quest for the Lombardi Trophy won’t be good enough for the Niners, so it’ll definitely take more than just returning talent for their version of success to be achieved. In that case, the AFC executive might be onto something. Purdy might very well need to take another leap forward before the Niners can get the most out of this roster.