No, Brock Purdy doesn’t need to be Superman — but the 49ers need him to be better

It was a 200-yard beeline, from the auditorium podium after Kyle Shanahan’s postgame news conference into the 49ers’ locker room, then directly to Brock Purdy’s locker. Shanahan didn’t pause for any other player and sure didn’t slow down.

Just straight to Purdy’s corner spot, where Shanahan’s quarterback was already in street clothes, putting on his shoes, and getting ready for his presser.

But first, Shanahan wanted to talk. Even as reporters and camera crews peered in from a respectful distance in the wake of the 49ers’ disheartening and costly 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, Shanahan and Purdy chatted calmly for at least five minutes. It felt like forever in this weighty environment — so long that general manager John Lynch walked by and jokingly gestured to all the media half-circling the conversation, which prompted Shanahan and Purdy to look around, laugh, share a hand clasp, and end the discussion.

“We were just talking about some stuff throughout the game, just some moments throughout and stuff,” Purdy said afterward. “And how we can do better going forward.”

I’ve seen Shanahan stop and chat with players on his way back to the coaches’ lockers after games; Deebo Samuel is always a top option for a Shanahan quick visit. But I’ve never seen Shanahan spend this much postgame locker-room time with a single player, at least not when the media are nearby. And I definitely never saw Shanahan spend more than a moment or two postgame with Jimmy Garoppolo.

This felt like a little more than a quick game review, though the words could’ve been strictly about Purdy’s rough performance on Sunday: three interceptions, only 17 completions on 31 attempts, no touchdowns, and a dismal 36.7 passer rating. Though Shanahan almost never indulges in symbolic gestures, this seemed like something close.

A semi-public reset, maybe. A reassessment of the 49ers’ offense if Brandon Aiyuk indeed suffered a torn ACL on Sunday, as the team fears. (There will be tests Monday.) A check-in for both coach and QB with the 49ers at 3-4 and in need of a major push after enduring so many crises already this season.

But I’m guessing that there was a deeper theme to that conversation, one that Purdy might’ve hit on when I asked if he’s feeling the need to assume more responsibility with Christian McCaffrey out since the beginning of the season and Jauan Jennings out for this week, and after losing Aiyuk to injury and Samuel to illness during the game.

“Is there more pressure to put on a Superman cape and do more? No,” Purdy said. “I think who we have to step up in those positions, man. … We have a lot of talent, in my eyes.”

Other 49ers said similar things — they have good players to step into those roles. Samuel and Jennings should be back for Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. And McCaffrey should be back fairly soon after the early-November bye. All is not lost. They’re still very much in the NFC playoff picture. Purdy doesn’t have to be a one-man savior for this proud franchise.

But on Sunday, that meant that Purdy played catch-up in the second half with a receiving core made up of Chris Conley, rookie Jacob Cowing, Ronnie Bell, and Ricky Pearsall, amazingly making his NFL debut just seven weeks after getting shot.

Purdy threw his first interception in the first quarter, before Aiyuk’s injury. But his second came in the third quarter on a miscommunication with Bell (both Purdy and Shanahan firmly said the QB was at fault), and Purdy’s third INT came when he forced a throw to Conley at the goal line in the fourth quarter.

Was Purdy trying to do too much? Probably. Definitely. The 49ers don’t want him to think he has to turn into a gunslinger just to try to make things happen. Patrick Mahomes, of course, can pull that off every week, including several magical plays against the 49ers on Sunday (and in four previous victories over the 49ers). But nobody else can do this. Just Mahomes. It’s not up to Purdy to copy the impossible. It’s also not good for the 49ers in their current state.

The world wants Purdy to prove he’s worth the $50 million or $60 million a year deal he’ll likely sign next offseason. But Purdy’s smart enough, even in his third NFL season, to know that it’s foolhardy to try to make it all happen in one game. And his words Sunday told us that he thought he was a little foolhardy in this game, matched against a Kansas City defense that has bedeviled many QBs the last few seasons.

“I think I’ve gotta play better for sure, just with my throws and decisions,” Purdy said. “Pretty simple.”

The less he has around him, the less Purdy should try to force. He’s derided as a “system QB,” but his superpower is that he can take Shanahan’s system higher than anybody else has. If he has inexperienced and less talented players to throw to for a while, the system has to get them open. And Purdy has to get the ball to them when they’re open.

“It’s never on one player,” George Kittle said of Purdy’s role. “I know he’s probably disappointed with — what did he have? – three interceptions? He’s going to be disappointed about that. … He’s giving us chances to make plays. … It seems like maybe he was trying to force something. All I know, Brock, this is his third year. He’s had a couple games he didn’t think he played very well in. I have no concern for Brock. I think he’s going to come back and sling the hell out of the football this week.”

Purdy also was hamstrung Sunday because the 49ers never really got their running game going — Jordan Mason gained 58 yards on 14 carries, with 26 of those coming on one third-quarter run — which allowed the Chiefs’ defense to tee off on the pass.

Purdy could’ve been better. But the 49ers’ offensive breakdown was complete on Sunday.

“Brock elevates himself a lot, regardless of whether guys are down or up,” Shanahan said. “Brock’s been doing that every game. He had some good plays today, but just overall, and along with all of us on offense, we didn’t do well. When you miss your best players, or some of them, they go out with injuries, it makes it harder on everyone.”

Can the 49ers survive the rest of the season without Aiyuk? Generally, they’ve just got to hang on until McCaffrey is back, which starts with beating the Cowboys on Sunday. Then they need a post-bye burst, including a huge Nov. 17 game at Levi’s against the Seahawks, with the 49ers going for a series sweep that would give them a nice edge in the race for the NFC West. That’s the goal now: win the division, get at least one home game in the playoffs, then see what happens.

“Our goal is to be leading the division after this bye week,” Shanahan said.

The 49ers could also try to trade for a wide receiver, though that might not be the most feasible thing to do after they used their first-round pick this year on Pearsall. There’s only so much capital a smart team wants to invest in a single position. Also, Amari Cooper and Davante Adams have already been traded. Still, other names could come up and I’m sure the 49ers will make some calls before the Nov. 5 deadline. And the 49ers know they’ve got one of the best QBs in the NFC, even though Purdy didn’t look like it on Sunday.

This is not a No. 1-seed kind of team. They were last year, but that was with Aiyuk having a career year and McCaffrey putting up superstar numbers. That was before they started this Season From Hell. They can fight through it, though. They can get the most out this year if Purdy stays healthy and remains the QB they’ve seen for several seasons now. They don’t need Superman. They just need the guy who knows exactly what he’s supposed to do and what he shouldn’t even try.