Miami loss makes it even clearer: 49ers must do more to protect Brock Purdy

MIAMI — The ending was eerily reminiscent of the last time the 49ers played on this field in a much larger game nearly five years ago.

That was February 2020’s Super Bowl LIV. Trailing by four with a chance to grab the lead late, the 49ers saw the Kansas City Chiefs overwhelm their offensive line and force a turnover on downs. A long Chiefs’ touchdown run then sealed the 49ers’ fate. A close game turned into an 11-point loss.

On Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, the 49ers — trailing by five points — had a similar opportunity to grab a late lead. But Miami overwhelmed their O-line. Calais Campbell, a 16-year NFL veteran and surefire future Pro Football Hall of Famer, ripped through the interior to drill 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and force an interception. Moments later, Dolphins running back De’Von Achane sprinted 50 yards for a touchdown, and the 49ers lost a previously close game by 12 points, 29-17.

Though pass protection wasn’t the only critical problem in this 49ers’ loss — there were 11 penalties for 90 yards, including an illegal formation penalty that might’ve wiped seven points off the board and three defensive personal fouls — it should be a focal point of the team’s critical 2025 retooling effort.

The 2024 dream is now officially dead for the 49ers. They’d been all but mathematically eliminated by last week’s home loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but the Washington Commanders’ win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday formalized the 49ers’ demise just minutes before they kicked off against the Dolphins.

So everything that transpired in Miami, and everything that will transpire over the season’s final two games against the Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals, can only be viewed through a future-facing lens.

And this much became even clearer at Hard Rock Stadium: Purdy, who’ll be eligible to sign a lucrative contract extension in just two weeks, should be near the bottom of the 49ers’ worry list. The 24-year-old quarterback bounced back from a rough outing against L.A. to register a 313-yard, two-touchdown performance. He paired with receiver Deebo Samuel (121 all-purpose yards) and tight end George Kittle (106 receiving yards) to make some lemonade out of the lemons the 49ers were handed on Sunday.

The sourest citrus came up front, where an offensive line already missing stalwart left tackle Trent Williams was dealt two more blows. His backup, Jaylon Moore, exited with a quad injury, forcing Spencer Burford into a position he hadn’t played since college at UT-San Antonio. Then, starting left guard Aaron Banks went down with a knee injury that forced third-year player Nick Zakelj into the first meaningful action of his career.

The 49ers and their center Jake Brendel, already flummoxed with Miami’s aggressive stunts, fell victim to Campbell’s particularly deceptive one with the game on the line.

“I was trying to layer it over that defender for Ricky [Pearsall] and then I just got hit and I couldn’t throw the ball the way I really wanted to,” Purdy said of his pick. “So I left it short and the guy got it.”

Coach Kyle Shanahan delivered an identical assessment of that play. It clearly wasn’t his QB’s fault. This was Campbell’s massive contribution, which began with a push against Brendel and 49ers right guard Dominick Puni. Campbell then deftly criss-crossed his attack angle with a fellow defensive tackle and bolted by Brendel’s left side — straight into Purdy.

“There’s a reason why he’s been doing this for 16 years,” Puni said of Campbell. “He’s a master of his craft.”

Put bluntly, the 49ers up front are not collectively masters of theirs. And it’s clear that must change entering 2025.

Puni, a rookie, has actually been the strong point of the line. He’s helped shore up the right side, which was abysmal last season. Protection at right guard has been solid.

It’s the other positions where concerns have ranged from moderate to severe this season. Although right tackle Colton McKivitz has improved significantly from 2023, rookie Miami edge rusher Chop Robinson overpowered him to tip a would-be touchdown pass from Purdy to Kittle in the first half. Meanwhile, Brendel and Banks have both posted below-average pass-blocking efficiency scores at center and left guard, leaving the line particularly exposed with its typical anchor — left tackle Williams — out with an ankle injury. Robinson also victimized the interior, forcing Purdy to scramble into oblivion more than once.

Injuries to Moore and Banks simply compounded the 49ers’ woes to the point that Shanahan acknowledged the O-line’s fragile state affected his play-calling process. “You’ve got to think about all that stuff — that all that goes into it,” he said.

Shanahan, whose 49ers were trailing late thanks to their litany of earlier errors, had no choice but to call straight drop-back passes. He was dependent on the line holding a pocket against just four rushers, and that did not happen.

The 49ers will likely limp to this season’s finish line behind a makeshift front reminiscent of the one that faltered on Sunday. Williams isn’t expected to return this year and Banks, whom the 49ers fear injured his MCL, is also likely done.

Williams is 36 years old, Banks is a pending free agent and the 32-year-old Brendel has posted the worst marks of his career. A preview of the work that must be done this offseason will be on display over the final two games of this season. How Shanahan and the 49ers attack the job will be fascinating — and a primary determining factor of the future success they can expect from Purdy.

They’d certainly like to avoid repeating the aftermath of that Super Bowl LIV loss in Miami to close the 2019 season. In 2020, the 49ers’ O-line — fighting to replace injured center Weston Richburg — struggled even more mightily, thanks in large part to disastrous center play. It wasn’t until 2021, when the 49ers signed veteran center Alex Mack, that the team stabilized its pass protection and made another deep playoff run.

But Mack has long since retired, other linemen have gotten hurt, and pressure is profusely pouring in against the 49ers. It’s no secret: Shanahan’s offensive success — and the success of virtually any quarterback to ever play the game — has been contingent on effective play from the heart of the offensive line.

Sunday’s dejá vú was far from the first time that A-gap pressure derailed a 49ers offense under Shanahan. And if the team doesn’t commit to an aggressive 2025 fortification of their beleaguered front in front of Purdy, it won’t be the last.