The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from the Regular Season

Is it the end of the road for Trey Lance?

The 49ers just completed a 13-4 regular season with a resounding victory over the Arizona Cardinals. It is time to review the regular season.

The Good

1. Brock Purdy

A few checkboxes Brock Purdy has ticked are going undefeated, throwing multiple touchdown passes in every start and being more poised than his predecessors. The magnitude of influence deserves Purdy to be named the offensive rookie of the year. The 49er starting QB job is Purdy's to lose now in 2023.

Purdy's picture-perfect story is extraordinary so far. George Kittle is living up to the hype as the best tight end in football, thanks to Purdy's efficiency in executing the offense. The defense is allowed to leak points.

The young rookie does not have the strongest arm but reads opposing defenses much better and finds open receivers often. The 49ers were inches away from considering Jimmy Garoppolo for a contract extension.

Even if Purdy does not win the Super Bowl, making Garoppolo no longer relevant is an achievement that will help the organization to move forward.

2. Kyle Shanahan

The third playoff appearance in his sixth season is sweeter than it looks.

With an identical 3-4 start like the year before, Shanahan was backed up to a corner early in the season. Shanahan's play calling with Brock Purdy reminds of the 2016 success he had with Matt Ryan.

The offense is humming with a QB contributing positively and a healthy squad to start the playoffs. Shanahan has finally broken the Garoppolo myth.

3. Nick Bosa

Do we need to write anything?

4. Christian McCaffrey

He is the upgraded version of the 2021 Deebo Samuel. McCaffrey had the same number of deep touchdown passes as Jimmy Garoppolo until Purdy took over. He has more awareness to shoot the gaps at will. McCaffrey carried a large portion of the workload while staying healthy.

He is the 49ers player of the year.

5. Dre Greenlaw

He finished the regular season with 82 solo tackles and 45 assists. Greenlaw stayed disciplined on the field, which was an issue in the past for him. If not for Bosa, Greenlaw would be the 49ers defensive player of the year.

6. Brandon Aiyuk

Aiyuk eclipsed 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. He did not miss any games and emerged as the No. 1 wide receiver. His route running and footwork mesmerize defensive players. Last year Aiyuk was responsible for multiple penalties, but the 3rd-year wide receiver barely set a foot wrong this season.

The Bad

1. Deebo Samuel

He produced half of the production compared to 2021 after his big contract signing. Samuel missed games due to injuries. Still, he did not have the same impact when healthy. He had 8.8 yards per touch which is a career low. Christian McCaffrey took over in place of Deebo as the best player on the offense.

It would be interesting to see where Deebo's career would go from here, as Brock Purdy can throw downfield, which is alien to the 49ers. Whether Deebo can thrive as a true wide receiver will be the question for 2023.

2. Defensive backfield

It is unfair to call the 49ers secondary bad. The No. 1 rated defense rarely misfired throughout the season. But when it did, the secondary was responsible. Deommodore Lenoir was targeted heavily, while Talanova Hufanga blew coverages.

If a team has a QB who can throw deep with legitimate wide receivers, the 49ers can be exposed. Fortunately, the offense does not entirely depend on the defense to bail them out as it used to with Garoppolo.

3. Tyrion Davis-Price

Another third round running back pick. Enough said.

4. Danny Gray

The pre-season was his best showing.

5. Ross Dwelley

Is he still on the team?

The Ugly

1. The aftermath of Trey Lance's injury

The monsoon did not help Trey Lance kick-start his year, but it was not the worst. A week later, he went down with a season-ending foot injury. Later, a third-string QB has a solid claim to the starting job, leaving Lance's career hanging by a thread as a 49er.

Freak injuries are common in NFL. The ugliness emerged with how the locker room reacted to his injury. Mike Silver reported that individuals in the building believed that the team was better with Jimmy Garoppolo.

Lance has four career starts after two years in NFL. Out of the top prospects in the 2021 draft class, Mac Jones is nothing exceptional; the Jets tried everything not to let Zach Wilson start a game late in the season; Justin Fields flashes glimpses of his talent now and then; Trevor Lawrance is finishing strong. But Trey Lance, the youngest of them all, criticized mainly by national media and fans.

Lance has the potential to become a top-10 QB, but neither the fan base nor the locker room seems to have the patience to let the young talent develop.

2. Javon Kinlaw

He has the talent, for sure. He played only 6 games and a total of 10 including 2021. The former 1st round pick is an integral part of the run defense when healthy. He still needs to justify his draft status.