Can the 49ers Win with Sam Darnold?
Either the oddsmakers think Brock Purdy will play this weekend, or they think the 49ers can win with Sam Darnold.
Currently, the 49ers are 3 1/2 point favorites to beat the Bengals on Sunday despite the fact that Purdy is in the concussion protocol after taking a blow to the head on Monday Night Football. Which means he'll have just six days to clear the concussion protocol. Which means there's a very large likelihood that Purdy won't play and that Darnold will start.
So why are the oddsmakers so confident in Darnold?
Is it because Kyle Shanahan said he could be the next Steve Young? Probably not. It most likely has to do with their confidence in the rest of the team. The quarterback is a passenger on the 49ers -- not the driver of the bus. His job isn't to win the game, it's not to lose it. And for a while, Purdy was doing a great job of not losing games. He was protecting the football, taking what the defense gave him and making the occasional play with his legs. He didn't do too much. He let his supporting cast do most of the work.
But the past two weeks, the 49ers needed more from Purdy because they were missing some key players. And he didn't step up. Instead, he shrunk. Threw three picks in two games and a few other passes that should have been intercepted. Suddenly, he became a main reason the 49ers were losing.
Enter Darnold. Can he get the 49ers back on track? He certainly has the ability to protect the football, take what the defense gives him and make the occasional play with his legs. He can be the game manager the 49ers want, for a game or two. Eventually, he'll start turning the ball over just like Purdy has. That's Darnold's history.
Eventually, the 49ers will need a quarterback who can put the team on his back. Not a quarterback the rest of the team has to carry. They're learning that right now with Purdy. The past two games, he couldn't carry them.
This weekend, the 49ers will need Darnold to lead the 49ers to a victory over Joe Burrow and the Bengals. I'm not so confident Darnold can pull that off.
Stay tuned.