Will 49ers QB Brock Purdy Have a Bounce-Back Season in 2025?

Granted, he lost some weapons. Christian McCaffrey missed 13 games, Brandon Aiyuk missed 10 and Deebo Samuel was just terrible. But Purdy still had the best tight end in football plus a run game that averaged 4.7 yards per carry -- seventh-best in the league.

That's a big reason he played so well early in games in 2024. Before halftime, his passer rating was 104.7 -- sixth-best in the NFL among quarterbacks who attempted at least 100 throws in the first half. After halftime, his passer rating fell to 86.1 -- 22nd-best in the NFL.

Why did Purdy get worse later in games?

For the first time in his NFL career, he found himself in close games almost every week. In previous seasons, the 49ers often blew teams out and put them away as early as the third quarter. So he didn't face many high-pressure moments in the regular season.

Last year, all he faced was high-pressure moments. And for the most part, he crumbled. He threw 10 interceptions and just eight touchdown passes in the second half. Meaning he tried to do too much and be a hero which cost his team.

Maybe Purdy was pressing because he was trying to prove he's worth $60 million per season. Maybe if he gets a contract extension this offseason, he'll go back to playing the way he did when he was an MVP finalist in 2023.

But if McCaffrey misses more time and Purdy has to put the 49ers on his back in the second halves of big games, watch out.