The 49ers are at their best as front-runners. Get a lead, then dictate the pace while gradually squeezing the life out of their opponent like a boa constrictor. They’ve been that way for a few years now, but have taken it to an extreme with a 6-3 record in 2023.

When the 49ers forced a three-and-out on defense on the first series, then drove 57 yards in four plays culminated by an ill-advised but ultimately successful 13-yard touchdown pass from Brock Purdy to Brandon Aiyuk, it was their sixth opening-possession touchdown in nine games.

Throw in a first-drive field goal against the New York Giants, and the 49ers have scored 45 points on their first drive while giving up just 13. In their three-game losing streak, the 49ers had a first-drive touchdown against Cleveland but ended up losing 19-17, lost a fumble by Christian McCaffrey on their first possession against Minnesota and went three-and-out while Cincinnati scored a touchdown in a 31-17 loss preceding the bye.

To 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, possessions are like his children — he doesn’t value one above the other.

“Anytime you don’t score on a drive, you’re always feeling real frustrated,” Shanahan said. “You want to start out great and do it on the first as much as possible, but I’ve never sat there and made a big emphasis to our team about that being more important than any other one.”

In first drives over nine games, Purdy is 26 of 31 for 295 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Three of those five incompletions came in succession against the Giants in Week 3, a drive when they settled for a field goal the first time they had the ball.

When informed Wednesday he had just two incompletions on opening drives other than against the Giants and a 145.9 paser rating (158.3 is perfect), Purdy paused for a moment in front of his locker.

“Wow. That’s crazy,” Purdy said. “I didn’t know that. We just go out and execute the plays. I had no idea.”

McCaffrey, who has 26 carries for 161 yards and two touchdowns on opening drives to go along with five receptions for 51 yards and another score, takes a snap-by-snap approach.

“Obviously Kyle’s really good at calling plays,” McCaffrey said. “Has been for a long time. For us, each play has a life of its own. That’s the way I look at it. You can’t really predict a whole lot in this league and you’ve just got to trust the play-caller — who’s really good at what he does. You can’t mess up.”

The 49ers served notice in Week 1 they were to be reckoned with at the outset, following up a defensive three-and-out against Pittsburgh with a 54-yard touchdown drive with Purdy hitting Aiyuk from eight yards out.

Their two other most convincing wins of the season, 40-12 against Dallas and a 34-3 win over Jacksonville, began with opening-drive touchdowns and a defensive stop.

Opponents are aware what they’re in for if the 49ers get rolling early.

“We did all the stuff we talked about not doing during the week,” Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence said postgame Sunday. “We start with a three-and-out, gave them momentum, and they went and scored. That’s just not how you want to start a game against a team like this. They’re really good, especially playing with a lead.”

The six opening-drive touchdowns match last year’s total over 20 games including the playoffs. Including field goals, the 49ers outscored teams 53-48 last season after each team had a possession. They had five touchdowns and a 41-30 margin in 2021 in 19 games, with the high-water mark under Shanahan being seven touchdowns and a 64-34 margin in 2019 when they advanced to the Super Bowl.

So being at six opening touchdowns and a field goal in seven games with a 32-point margin is pretty heady stuff.

“Obviously you want to set the tone for the game, but at the same time, it’s usually plays we’ve run in practice and we know those plays a little better than ones we hadn’t run multiple times,” center Jake Brendel said.

Without knowing first-hand, Brendel suggested negative runs, sacks and penalties were virtually non-existent on the first possession.

“We probably never went backwards, and that just comes down to being dialed in, knowing the snap count and having the operation at 100 percent,” Brendel said.

Sure enough, the 49ers haven’t had a penalty on offense in any of their first drives and just one 4-yard sack of Purdy in Week 3 when they settled for a field goal.

Defensively, the 49ers have opened with three-and-outs four times, had two interceptions, given up two field goals and the lone touchdown against Cincinnati.

While linebacker Fred Warner is all for getting off to a good start, he stressed the 49ers need to win in other ways as well.

“I’m sure it’s something other teams talk about because they know if we get going hot from the start that it’s going to be hard to stop us once we get rolling,” Warner said. “I want to see who we are when we don’t get the stop on the first drive. It’s all about finding a way to win. We’ve got to make sure we’re on it,not only from the start, but especially the finish.”

49ers’ first possession on offense (scored 45 points)

Week 1 at Pittsburgh: Aiyuk 8-yard pass from Purdy (Moody kick), 54 yards, seven plays

Week 2 at L.A. Rams: McCaffrey 14-yard run (Moody kick), 75 yards, 11 plays

Week 3 vs. N.Y. Giants: Moody 28-yard FG, 64 yards, 15 plays

Week 4 vs. Arizona: McCaffery 1 run (Moody kick), 62 yards, eight plays

Week 5 vs. Dallas: Kittle 19-yard pass from Purdy (Moody kick), 75 yards, seven plays

Week 6: at Cleveland: McCaffrey 13-yard pass from Purdy (Moody kick), 84 yards, five plays

Week 7 at Minnesota: Lost fumble at Vikings 12-yard line

Week 8 vs. Cincinnati: Three-and-out

Week 10 at Jacksonville: Aiyuk 13-yard pass from Purdy (Moody kick)

49ers’ first series on defense (allowed 13 points)

Week 1 at Pittsburgh: Three-and-out

Week 2 at L.A. Rams: Maher 43-yard FG, 50 yards, 11 plays

Week 3 vs. N.Y. Giants: Gano 44-yard FG, 49 yards, 12 plays

Week 4 vs. Arizona: Three-and-out

Week 5 vs. Dallas: Three-and-out

Week 6 at Cleveland: Interception, Warner

Week 7 at Minnesota: Interception, Ward

Week 8 vs. Cincinnati: Boyd 7-yard pass from Burrow (McPherson kick), 85 yards, 11 plays

Week 10 at Jacksonville: Three-and-out

“He’s definitely scrappy, and he’s tougher than he looks in the pocket with escapability and athleticism,” Bosa said.

Sorry, folks, Bosa no longer feels the need to needle Mayfield about a college feud from their days at Ohio State and Oklahoma, respectively.

“I’ve never had anything against him. It was just a joke as a rookie,” Bosa said of his antics in an October 2019 win over Mayfield and the visiting Cleveland Browns. “It was fun. My celebrations as a rookie were pretty good.”

Now, Bosa wouldn’t mind repeating his shoulders-shrug sack dance a few times Sunday, when Mayfield returns to Levi’s Stadium with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5) for a cross-country matchup with the 49ers (6-3).

Bosa said he had a nice time meeting Mayfield off the field at this past February’s Phoenix Open golf tournament during Super Bowl week, and, in turn, Mayfield harbors no grudge over Bosa’s rookie-year showcase.

“It’s fun. He’s a good guy, obviously a great competitor and a stud,” Mayfield told reporters in Tampa. “He’s one of those challenges you look forward to going against and competing with.”

Bosa was named NFC Player of the Week on Wednesday for this past Sunday’s 34-3 win at Jacksonville, where he had 1 1/2 sacks, forced a fumble that he recovered, and hit Trevor Lawrence as he threw an interception to Talanoa Hufanga.

Back in 2019, Bosa also was named the NFC Player of the Week for his breakout performance against Mayfield. Bosa was only four games into his NFL career — on his way to a Super Bowl and rookie-of-the-year honors — when he thoroughly enjoyed that 31-3 Monday night win. He had two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery — the first 49ers player in 25 years with such a combination.

After one sack, Bosa celebrated by waving and planting an imaginary flag to mimic and mock Mayfield’s moves after an Oklahoma win at Ohio State two years earlier. At his locker afterward, Bosa noted that he usually doesn’t talk trash, however, “this game he had it coming. But he didn’t say one word back. I was just screaming his name like, ‘Ba-ker! Ba-ker! You good? Come on, pick it up. We want a challenge?’ ”

Admiring that show back at Ohio State was Chase Young, who has been reunited with Bosa after last month’s trade.

“You know, you get to chirping, we just might chirp back. That’s it,” Young said. “… Great quarterback. Played him in college. We have to do everything in our power to pay attention to details and just take care of our job.”

Coach Kyle Shanahan said he has “a lot of respect” for how Mayfield plays. This season, that includes 14 touchdowns, five interceptions, 16 sacks and a 64.6 completion percentage for Mayfield. He was the Browns’ No. 1 overall draft pick in 2018, then he was traded to Carolina last season to unseat Sam Darnold (currently the 49ers’ backup), and Mayfield then joined the Rams to start their final four games last season.

“Guys probably didn’t expect him when he was going to the Bucs to play as great as he’s been playing,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “He’s playing really well, getting the ball to his playmakers.”

The 49ers beat Mayfield last October when he was with Carolina. Bosa left that game in the first half with a groin injury, and without a sack or hit against Mayfield.

“It was a physical game, I’ll say that,” Mayfield said. ” … Playing San Francisco at any time, no matter who you’re with, they’re going to be physical. They’re going to line up and have a really good game plan. They’ve had great players a lot of years. Their front is amazing, but it allows those linebackers to play free, and those are two really smart linebackers. Their recognition of plays is a huge difference, going up against their defense, you have to be on time.”

BEST ATHLETE EVER?

NFL rushing leader Christian McCaffrey has a strong reason why he said it was fun to run behind left tackle Trent Williams.

“He’s obviously, he might be, the best player I’ve ever seen,” McCaffrey said. “When he’s out there, it gives everybody a little boost of confidence.”

Williams, along with wide receiver Deebo Samuel, returned Sunday from a two-game hiatus. Williams took his usual Wednesday off from practice to rest his 35-year-old body, as well as his Oct. 15 ankle injury.

“He’s better than a lot of the people who play. He’s really good,” McCaffrey said. “There’s nothing he can’t do. He plays beyond X’s and O’s. He does things other people can’t do. And he’s been doing it a long time.”

TOUCHDOWN RECORD REVIEW

Three days later, McCaffrey did not sound miffed that he was unable to score Sunday, thus remaining tied with Lenny Moore for the NFL’s all-time record of scoring a touchdown in 17 straight games.

“That was a huge honor for me, because I had gone back and looked at not just his statistics but the film,” McCaffrey said. “He’s a special player, a special back, and someone who did a lot off the field as well. Just to have my name mentioned with his name means a lot to me.”

The 49ers were up 31 points when McCaffrey re-entered with six minutes remaining to try breaking the touchdown record, to no avail. His 19-yard run got them to the 10-yard line, and a catch and carry moved them to the 3, but another carry and a fourth-down incompletion kept him out of the end zone.

McCaffrey was grateful to Shanahan for those attempts.

“He didn’t have to do that,” he said. “A lot of people probably would tell him not to but the fact he did means a whole lot to me.”

PURDY FILM ANALYSIS

“He knows when he makes a bad decision and he’s fun to talk to about it and to coach,” Shanahan said.

As for Purdy’s second touchdown, a 66-yard shot to George Kittle from a collapsing pocket Shanahan said: “I see Kittle’s release, I look back to the pocket and can’t see anybody, and it looks like somebody is throwing a grenade out of a bunker.”

Shanahan turned his back to the play and walked away in relief while Kittle went on to walk into the end zone.

“I’m not trying to look cool. It was a stressed-out type of reaction. Exhaled. I knew no (defender) was behind him,” Shanahan said. “I didn’t have to look and make sure he didn’t trip over the goal line. I counted on him not to.”

OFFENSIVE LINE ISSUES

Left guard Aaron Banks already has been ruled out for a second straight game as he recovers from a hyperextended toe. While Jon Feliciano acquitted himself as Banks’ replacement, the 49ers lost a backup option when Nick Zakelj required season-ending surgery to repair a biceps tear from Sunday’s special-teams duty.

Right tackle Colton McKivitz (ankle, knee) was limited because of Sunday’s injuries, so Matt Pryor and Jaylon Moore are expected to get reps there this week in case McKivitz misses his first start of the season.

The 49ers’ practice squad offers backup linemen in Henry Byrd, Jesse Davis, Ilm Manning and Spencer Waege, the latter of whom re-signed Wednesday; defensive end Austin Bryant was released in a corresponding move.

Bosa was just one of several 49ers defenders who led the way out of a three-game losing streak and produced Sunday’s 34-3 win at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Bosa’s marquee moment came when he and Chase Young split a sack on Trevor Lawrence, with Bosa forcing and recovering a fumble on the play at midfield. It was one of five sacks the 49ers (6-3) had on the day.

Bosa again sacked Lawrence to end the third quarter, after earlier hitting him as he threw an interception to Talanoa Hufanga.

It wasn’t just Bosa who excelled in his native Florida. So did fellow defensive linemen Javon Hargrave, Arik Armstead, Clelin Ferrell and Young, the latter of whom was making his 49ers debut after last month’s trade reunited him with Bosa, an Ohio State teammate.

As the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Bosa signed the richest contract in NFL history for a non-quarterback just days before the season, and he had 3 1/2 sacks entering Sunday’s win.

The 49ers host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-4) on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

Bosa is the fourth Niner to earn NFC player-of-the-week commendations this season, following Brandon Aiyuk (Week 1), Christian McCaffrey (Week 4) and Fred Warner (Week 5).

Purdy is the best downfield-throwing 49ers QB since ____? (@j.mata530)

Two things strike me: Brock Purdy’s unabashed aggressiveness, and his NFL-best 9.3 yards-per-attempt average. On the latter note, that would be the best single-season mark ever by a 49ers quarterback. Joe Montana’s 9.1-yard average in 1989 ranks first among passers with at least four starts and 100 passes. The 49ers’ leading career averages: Jimmy Garoppolo (8.3), Steve Young (8.2), Nick Mullens (7.9), Montana (7.6), Y.A. Tittle (7.3). Purdy is averaging 8.8 yards per attempt through 18 career regular-season games.

“I’m aggressive with what I do and how I throw the ball,” Purdy said after Sunday’s 34-3 win in Jacksonville. “I still have to learn times and situations in games I have to be smart with the ball. They do a good job of not just handcuffing me. They let me play quarterback in an aggressive way and get the ball to the guys when they’re open.”

Is the No. 1 seed in the NFC realistically in play for the 49ers still? (@j.mata530)

Eight games remain, so the 49ers (6-3) are just past the halfway point and in reasonable shape to land a high seed in the NFC playoffs. The No. 1 seed? That’s the goal, and it’s achievable, but only if they pull off key wins (see: Dec. 3 at Philadelphia) combined with some stumbles by the Eagles (8-1) and the Detroit Lions (7-2). The Eagles are coming off their bye and face a gaunlet: at Kansas City, then home games against Buffalo and the 49ers before road trips to Dallas and Seattle. The Lions have a five-game cakewalk before closing at the Vikings, at the Cowboys and against the Vikings.

The 49ers were not perfect yesterday. What do they still need to work on for the playoffs? (@david581)

Christian McCaffrey kind of addressed this postgame: “What I liked is that it wasn’t perfect but we just stayed with it. We kept going, kept going. The defense came up huge with a bunch of turnovers. Offensively, we have a lot of things we can still get better at, which is exciting. We learned our lesson these last three weeks. We just have to play good ball every week. We have to execute. We have to minimize mistakes. And go out there and do what we need to do.”

Do you think Steve Wilks being on the sideline was the huge difference-maker for the defense? (@tyler.webb14)

What helped most were the coverage disguises and the best pass rush since Week 1, calls he happened to make on the sideline after moving down from the booth this game. He congratulated players but not exactly with maniacal emotion. My binoculars strained to find him on the sideline interacting with players, although television closeups showed him congratulating players such as Charvarius Ward (end zone pass defense) and Javon Hargrave (1 ½ sacks). After each series, Wilks typically would study video on a tablet by himself, then talk to position coaches. Fred Warner commended the streamlined communication: Wilks was able to send calls directly into Warner’s helmet for the first time this season, which obviously didn’t hurt.

Will Wilks remain on the sideline? (@DanielUkiah)

Wilks getting out in the Florida air seemed to breathe life and accountability into the 49ers’ defense by Sideline Steve (as coined by our Instagram friends at @ourSF49ers).

Will Arik be OK to play this coming Sunday? (@brucemahan6)

Defensive tackle Arik Armstead said he should be OK but he took great exception to Brandon Scherff’s “dirty” hit that could have resulted in a serious leg injury.

“I had a lot of respect for him, but tripping me, kicking me in my knee, I could have got seriously hurt,” Armstead said. “It was just a dirty play.”

Armstead limped off the field but returned to play 34 snaps (60 percent of the defensive action).

How do the Niners fix the line midseason? (@hulkmsaterfunk)

Which line? The offensive line got Trent Williams back and that made a huge difference, with Jon Feliciano aptly filling in for left guard Aaron Banks. The defensive line added Chase Young to the mix and his 35 snaps were only two fewer than Nick Bosa’s, 11 more than starter Clelin Ferrell’s and 14 more than Randy Gregory. The betting line? The 49ers are generally considered co-NFC favorites along with Philadelphia to reach the Super Bowl according to the sportsbooks, with almost as good a chance of playing on Feb. 12 as the defending champion Chiefs.

He did not sense a team wallowing in a three-game skid upon his trade-deadline arrival. He sensed a cohesive group capable of producing, well, a 34-3 road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, which they did Sunday.

“I wasn’t here for the losses, but I could tell everybody just had that energy,” Young told reporters at his locker. “You could just tell that love for the game in the locker room.”

The 49ers (6-3) have snapped the streak, and they’re home Sunday to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5).

(Warning, the 49ers should not read the following note: After the Bucs is a critical stretch of games, with a Dec. 3 visit to Philadelphia sandwiched between the 49ers’ games against the Seattle Seahawks.)

Linebacker Fred Warner, in his postgame speech to the locker room, emphasized the need to not look into that distance.

“It’s safe to say we learned our lesson,” Warner bellowed. “From here on out, it’s one game. One game at a time. All right, let’s go it get it next week against Tampa.”

This week’s storylines

1. BOSA VS. BAKER: Nothing will compare to the college rivalry embers from their 2019 meeting, when rookie Nick Bosa exacted his Ohio State/Oklahoma revenge on Baker Mayfield (and the Cleveland Browns). That aside, Bosa is coming off his best game of the season, and Mayfield is dealing with a thumb injury (on his fourth team in two years).

2. McCAFFREY STREAK: OK, so Christian McCaffrey was denied a touchdown for the first time in 18 games, and Brock Purdy vowed to start a new streak for the man who has led the NFL in rushing after each week this season. One trend the 49ers would not like to resume is McCaffrey getting his facemask pulled and twisted.

3. PURDY’S YEAR: The Buccaneers were Purdy’s opponent in his NFL starting debut last year, and he was the first rookie to win a debut against Tom Brady. A year-long retrospective could be in order to paint what a remarkable run he has had to now leading the NFL in passer rating.

4. DEFENSES RULE: Neither the 49ers nor the Bucs allowed a touchdown Sunday in snapping their losing streaks; the 49ers lost three straight, the Bucs four. Those units will key each team to division contention. Does Tampa really have any star-caliber defenders left from its Super Bowl days, and could the 49ers get overconfident in their starry defense?

5. HOME SWEET HOME: The 49ers return to Levi’s Stadium looking to rekindle their winning ways, having won 11 straight there (playoffs included) before losing that mojo in 31-17 fashion to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 29.

Last meeting

The 49ers dominated the Bucs 35-7 on Dec. 11 at Levi’s Stadium, spoiling Tom Brady’s Bay Area farewell and marking the Niners’ sixth straight win in a 12-game win streak.

“Last year we went to San Francisco and it wasn’t pretty, so we’re looking to avenge that and play some of our best ball, because we’re going to need it against a team like San Francisco,” Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans told the team’s website after producing 143 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s win over the Titans.

Series history

The 49ers lead 19-7, including 12 wins in their first 13 matchups starting in 1977, and a 13-3 home record. Did you know the 49ers’ 1989, ’94 and 2019 teams all beat the Bucs en route to the Super Bowl? The 2002 Super Bowl-champion Bucs, with future 49ers general manager John Lynch at safety, won the teams’ lone playoff showdown, 31-6, in Tampa.

Playoff picture

The 49ers (6-3; 4-1 in NFC action) are currently slotted in the NFC’s No. 3 spot, behind the Eagles (8-1; 6-0) and the Detroit Lions (7-2; 4-1). The Niners are tied atop the NFC West with the Seattle Seahawks (6-3; 5-1).

The Bucs (4-5; 3-3) are only a half-game behind the NFC South-leading New Orleans Saints (5-5; 2-3) and just ahead of the Atlanta Falcons (4-6; 3-4).

Weather

Showers Friday and Saturday should give way to partly sunny skies on game day, with a high of 71 degrees and winds up to 15 mph, according to weather.com

Betting line

The 49ers are favored by 10 ½ points, with an over/under line of 42 ½ points, according to a consensus on vegasinsider.com.

Prediction: 49ers 26, Bucs 13

The end result was great as the 49ers improved to 6-3. But there were plenty of mistakes to be corrected, and it’s not as if a 34-3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars has any direct carryover to their Week 11 home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5).

It was pretty much the same reaction Shanahan had after two other one-sided wins against highly regarded opposition — a season opening 30-7 win in Pittsburgh and a 40-12 victory over Dallas on in Week 5.

“I thought we made a number of mistakes on offense, there was a couple of things on defense — with screens and stuff — that got through there,” Shanahan said in a conference call with local media. “We made a couple of mistakes on special teams. But when you just keep fighting and keep going, you have zero turnovers and they have four. Sometimes those things just end up taking care of themselves if you just play the right way.”

To go out and dominate the Jaguars, who came in on a five-game win streak, was never discussed.

“I think the biggest thing we emphasized was we weren’t going into that game trying to blow anybody out,” Shanahan said. “We weren’t trying to score 30 points, we were just trying to play as good as we could and not worry about anything else. We feel if we do that, we always have a chance for that game to end up like it did.”

About the only injury concern was to right tackle Colton McKivitz, who had his ankle rolled up on and also was dealing with knee soreness. McKivitz is list as day to day, as his linebacker Demetrius Flanigan-Fowles (ankle).

Left tackle Trent Williams, who played 46 snaps on a sprained right ankle, and defensive tackle Arik Armstead, who was tripped and tweaked his knee, reported no problems upon return from Florida.

What was evident to Shanahan was a level of anger after letting a three-game losing streak percolate during the bye week.

“You go three weeks, losing three games in a row, then have to take a week off and let it fester,” Shanahan said. “We were sick of that feeling. I think guys came back from the bye week pretty pissed and we were looking forward to this game.”

Trent and Deebo: With Williams back at left tackle after missing the last two games and Deebo Samuel doing what he does at wide receiver and in the backfield after also missing two games with a hairline fracture in his shoulder, the 49ers offense looked rejuvenated.

The 49ers had 437 yards of total offense, 20 first downs and had 144 yards rushing against one of the top rushing defenses.

Shanahan believes the presence of Williams and Samuel gave the offense a confidence boost rather than a physical one.

“Trent by no means was close to 100 percent and I thought it was courageous to battle throughout that game,” Shanahan said. “Deebo didn’t get involved that much. I know he got that reverse (a 23-yard scoring run), but he didn’t get too much more.

“I don’t think it had a huge impact on the game, but the way it unfolded, knowing they were going to be out there, gives the offense more confidence.”

Less of Bosa means more: It may be no coincidence that edge rusher Nick Bosa played the fewest percentage of snaps he’s had since Week 1 yet had his biggest impact in terms of the stat sheet with 1 1/2 sacks, three hits on quarterback Trevor Lawrence, a pass batted down and he pressured Lawrence into a pass that was intercepted by Talanoa Hufanga.

Bosa played 37 snaps or 65 percent, after seeing 89, 91 and 90 snaps over a three-game period.

The arrival of Chase Young, who played 35 snaps, and a liberal rotation kept everyone fresh.

“That’s been our goal for a number of weeks and we’ve struggled to do that,” Shanahan said. “I think getting Chase in there made it a lot easier. I think the way the game went made it a lot easier. It’s hard to take Nick off the field, but it’s something we’re trying to do, because we want him playing at the same level for all those plays, not just rushing the quarterback.”

The 49ers played eight defensive linemen, with Javon Hargrave getting 37 snaps, Armstead 34, Javon Kinlaw 24, Kevin Givens 22, Clelin Ferrell 22 and Randy Gregory 21.

Demo, Ambry and the nickel: Although victimized in coverage on occasion, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir “flew around and made plays” as the nickel back in place of Isaiah Oliver while Ambry Thomas played a season-high 46 snaps. Thomas had played just four snaps total on defense in the previous four weeks.

Thomas forced a second-half fumble, recovered and ran it in for a touchdown which was called back because the 49ers didn’t know the play was alive, with players and coaches illegally coming onto the field.

“I was real happy with those guys and hopefully they’ll continue to get better,” Shanahan said.

When Lenoir left for three snaps due to injury, Oliver replaced him and Shanahan said he “didn’t miss a beat.”

Shanahan stopped short of saying it will be the same lineup in the secondary against Tampa Bay.

“I think Isaiah played some real good ball for us this year too,” Shanahan said. “We’ve got some good options. It all depends on who we’re playing and we’ll see how this settles. We’re looking into it each week.”

NOTES

— If McKivitz is unable to play at right tackle, veteran Matt Pryor is next in line on the right side but Shanahan didn’t rule out moving Jaylon Moore, who was steady in two games in place of Williams at left tackle.

Assuming left guard Aaron Banks remains out with turf toe, Jon Feliciano will draw another start alongside Williams. The 49ers were considering moving Feliciano in on a rotational basis at right guard as they did a year ago with Spencer Burford and Daniel Brunskill.

— Defensive end Drake Jackson had an injection to alleviate knee tendinitis and will need at least a month to recover. The 2022 second-round draft pick was placed on injured reserve Friday and Shanahan said his recovery will determine whether he’ll play again this season.

The same cannot be said for at least one Jacksonville defensive back, who reacted to the sight of No. 71 bearing down on him Sunday as one would a runaway freight train.

Williams, who often describes opponents as well as teammates by their uniform numbers, put it this way after a 34-3 road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars: “It’s kind of weird, because (No.) 31 turned around and ran. I ain’t never seen that.”

That player, Darious Williams, highlighted what it meant for the 49ers to have Williams back after missing the last two games with a right ankle sprain. He was injured on Oct. 15 in a 19-17 loss to Cleveland but missed only two snaps before returning to battle Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, a front-runner for this season’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

But it goes back further than that, with Williams at 35 fighting a running battle with a chronic condition that could flare up at any time and will likely need maintenance all season. Williams missed three games last season with a high right ankle sprain and injured it in 2021 as well.

TRENT WILLIAMS: "It's kinda weird because 31 turned around and ran. I ain't never seen that." pic.twitter.com/13A1bQKlPc

— KNBR (@KNBR) November 12, 2023

The good news is Williams sounded as if he’d be good to go for the 49ers (6-3) Week 11 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5) at Levi’s Stadium.

“I don’t think I took a step back,” Williams said. “I definitely didn’t get any better. I think I was 75, 80 percent, and I think I’m still around there.”

Williams played 46 snaps of 62, coming out with the 49ers in control of the game. After flying cross-country in a cold compression sleeve to prevent swelling, Williams determined at some point Saturday he’d give it a shot. He was officially listed as “questionable,” with head coach Kyle Shanahan amending it to “real” questionable.

“Over the years, every time I’ve been questionable I pretty much end up playing,” Williams said. “Thursday and Friday went OK, but didn’t go as well as expected. So it was truly questionable. Long flight. Got some good rehab Saturday, decided to give it a go.”

Suddenly a running game that averaged 95.3 yards over the last three games broke loose for 144 yards. Quarterback Brock Purdy had more time to throw.

Usually the standard for an offensive lineman is silence. If nobody hears his name and number it’s a positive, and that’s what mostly happened for Jaylon Moore, who stepped in for Williams. But Williams draws plenty of attention and rave reviews for his ability to get out in space with rare athleticism for someone who is 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds.

“He just manhandles anybody that he goes against, and it’s very fun to play with someone that’s probably the best to ever do it at his position,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said.

In the days preceding the game, Jaguars analyst and Hall of Fame offensive tackle Tony Boselli agreed.

“He’d get my vote,” Boselli told KNBR. “He reminds me of the way the game was played when the rules were different. In a league where everything is horizontal and not as physical, Trent comes downhill, tries to finish guys. He has a nastiness about him. I’ll be watching tape and I’m supposed to watch the entire team, but there will be 10 plays in a row and I realize I have no idea what’s happening because I’ve been watching Trent Williams the whole time.”

Shanahan breathed a sigh of relief because Williams got through it without reinjury.

“He was adamant he was going to play, whatever the percentage was,” Shanahan said. “We talked about it a lot. We were going to keep a hard eye on him as it went, but I thought he played well under the circumstances. He didn’t zing it, got out healthy, had no setbacks.”

Williams said he told Shanahan he’d be good to go if he were 70 to 75 percent.

“It was tough because I hadn’t had any physical contact since Cleveland, so I’ve been on the shelf for the last month,” Williams said. “I knew I’d be rusty and obviously you can’t just wake up after a month and go out there and pick up where you left off.”

The way Williams sees it, he doesn’t need to be delivering pancake blocks when running interference for Christian McCaffrey, who had 95 yards on 16 carries, or Deebo Samuel, who had a 23-yard sweep for a touchdown with No. 71 leading the way on the play where Williams determined discretion to be the better part of valor.

“I feel so comfortable with (Nos.) 23 or 19 out there in the open field,” Williams said. “I’ve just got to get in the way for them to make a decision. Once 19 gets a head of steam it’s really tough to bring him down.”

PASS OFFENSE: A-

Brock Purdy leads the NFL with a 109.9 passer rating, and Sunday’s career-best mark of 148.9 was bolstered by three touchdown passes and no turnovers for the first time in four games. Don’t overlook some of the gutsier strong-arm throws he made for third-down conversions to Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings on the far sideline. As for the first touchdown pass, Kyle Shanahan called it “one of his worst decisions” Purdy has made as a 49er, to which the second-year QB said: “I’m not necessarily proud of that play, honestly. Yes, it was a touchdown and everything; great. B.A. made a great play. But I’ve got to be smart with the ball, and if anything, I should have ran the ball.” Instead, Purdy put just enough air and touch on a cross-field throw that it cleared George Kittle and two defenders before Aiyuk snagged it. Purdy’s second touchdown pass showed his fabulous combination of pocket-pressure resolve and on-field smarts: He waited just long enough for Kittle to break past a linebacker in man coverage for a 66-yard touchdown, two plays into the second half for a 20-3 lead; it evoked momentum-like memories of Christian McCaffrey’s 65-yard touchdown run on the second snap after halftime to break open their Week 1 win in Pittsburgh.

RUN OFFENSE: B

NFL rushing leader Christian McCaffrey did not score in an 18th straight game, thus keeping him tied with Lenny Moore for the NFL record. But the 49ers’ offense did not look so McCaffrey-dependent and that’s a good thing. With Deebo Samuel back from a shoulder injury, he went in motion on the first snap as McCaffrey got the carry for a 6-yard gain. McCaffrey finished with 95 yards on 16 carries. Samuel’s 23-yard touchdown came on an end-around run in which he followed the final blocks from Trent Williams and Jake Brendel. “It’s kind of weird, because (No.) 31 (cornerback Darious Williams) turned and ran. I had never seen that,” Williams said. “I knew (Samuel) was close because I could tell the reaction of the guy in front of me.” Veteran Jon Feliciano acquitted himself well as he started at left guard in place of Aaron Banks (toe). Elijah Mitchell (eight carries, 23 yards) helped get the 49ers in position to brazenly try getting McCaffrey into the end zone for the record-breaker at the end.

PASS DEFENSE: A

This was the get-well game that saw a dominant pass rush complemented by timely coverage tricks. Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Clelin Ferrell, Arik Amstead and Chase Young combined for five sacks, and while Hargrave’s 1 1/2 came on third down on the opening two series, the most poetic was the sack Bosa and Young shared in the second quarter to force a fumble that Bosa recovered. Afterward, a lot of credit was spread to the defense’s coverage men for their “sticky” play and disguises that confused Trevor Lawrence, who was intercepted by Talanoa Hufanga and Fred Warner. That said, Lawrence often succeeded in targeting Deommodore Lenoir, who shifted inside on passing situations to replace the benched Isaiah Oliver. Ambry Thomas gained praise afterward, and a key to that was the fumble he forced at the 6-yard line on a catch he allowed. Charvarius Ward, three snaps after drawing an illegal-contact penalty, made perfectly timed contact with a Lawrence pass to break up a potential 19-yard touchdown catch.

RUN DEFENSE: A

This marked the 36th straight game an opponent has failed to produce a 100-yard rusher. The Jaguars’ Travis Etienne had just 35 yards on nine carries as they tried playing catch-up through the air. Dre Greenlaw had a team-high eight tackles in his bounce-back game, while  Warner, Lenoir and Hufanga each had seven tackles. Greenlaw, Hargrave, Bosa and Ferrell each made a tackle for loss.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A

Nick Moody barely snuck in a 35-yard field goal as the first half expired, after earlier connecting on a 39-yarder, so there’s still a touch of hold-your-breath with the rookie kicker. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky is one of the more unheralded success stories this season, and while he had a net average of 47 yards on three punts this game, one pinned the Jaguars at their 1-yard line. Ray-Ray McCloud averaged 7.3 yards on three punt returns; his season average of 9.7 yards per return ranks ninth in the NFL.

COACHING: A

Kyle Shanahan and his staff stormed out of the bye week with fantastic work to keep the Jaguars off-balance both offensively and defensively. “Winning on the road against a team that’s been rolling … it’s definitely what we needed,” Williams said. Too much attention was put on defensive coordinator Steve Wilks’ move from the booth to the sideline but that certainly didn’t hurt matters as he calmly went about his work day. Kittle credited Shanahan with dialing up the perfect play for his 66-yard score in anticipation of the Jaguars’ second-and-1 man coverage. Now that a three-game losing streak is out of the way, the 49ers must not take lightly a Buccaneers team that won 20-6 over the Titans; looming beyond that is the Seattle-Philadelphia-Seattle swing that could dictate the NFC playoff bracket.

HEAD COACH KYLE SHANAHAN

No injuries right now. I’m sure there will be some tomorrow, but there’s nothing right now.

Q: What impressed you the most?

Shanahan: Just how we overcame a bunch of stuff. I didn’t think we played perfect ball by any means, which you never do. I was just happy that the mistakes we did make, we always overcame. I was real disappointed getting those first two turnovers and not scoring on either of them, having to punt. Then when we get the third turnover, we actually score ourselves on defense but we have to call it back, and that was strategic so we could let the offense do it. Finally, we were able to do one, and being able to get that fourth one was cool. It was playing complementary football. Took us a while a little bit back and forth, but I thought once we were playing well on both sides, that’s when the score became what it did.

Q: Would that penalty not have been strategic if you hadn’t been one of the ones on the field?

Shanahan: Was I one? Yeah. No, I would have been mad at whoever did it. I was mad at myself. I thought the play was over. We couldn’t see, and everyone jumped up, so when that happens you’re getting out there to start to congratulate people coming back, and they’re not coming back to congratulate us, they’re running back at us. We know the rules, definitely. We know you can’t go on the field. I personally thought the play was over. They ran right by us, and it was very unfortunate because it was a good learning experience for our team. We do show that stuff. But it was short lived because we ended up scoring. We can live with it, but good learning example for us.

Q: I’m not sure if you went back to it, but that first play was a five-man front on defense. Was that something that you had charted out over the bye?

Shanahan: No, and I think we’ve mixed that in a little bit throughout the year at times. I think we did it versus Pittsburgh on one of the first couple plays, and I know we did it versus Minnesota, I believe, on Mooney’s pick there in the first quarter. It’s something we mixed in, but no, I thought their playing was real good today, and it seemed effective.

Q: What did you think of Nick Bosa today?

Shanahan: I thought he was great. I think Nick has been playing great all year, but for him to get the sack and stuff, cause a turnover, I know how much he loves playing in Florida, too, so it was cool to have a big game for him today. I thought all of them played big.

Q: What was it like having Steve Wilks on the field?

Shanahan: I mean, I ran into him a couple more times. I hear his voice wherever he is. I enjoy him down there. We’ll ask the players how they thought. Excited to talk to Steve on the plane, see what he thought. But that’s nothing against you guys or anything, but I’ve been coaching a long time, and I think that’s one of the most overrated things in the world. I enjoyed him down there today.

Q: What was your thought process on trying to get Christian McCaffrey a touchdown there at the end?

Shanahan: 18 games in a row is a big record. If we had a chance to do it, I was going to try to do it for him. It’s a little nerve-racking. Last thing I want to do is get him hurt, but it was big-time for Elijah [49ers RB Elijah Mitchell] to run the ball like that to get us down there. Brock and I think Ronnie [49ers WR Ronnie Bell] made a huge third down throw, I believe, that gave us a chance, and once we got close, we told him to stay loose because we were going to try. We got close. Wish we could have done it for him, but I think that was a pretty big accomplishment to do it for 17 games straight.

Q: Did you have to explain it to Doug Pederson at all?

Shanahan: Yeah, he said he knew. Right when I saw him, I was like, hey, I hope you know why we were trying to do that, and he was very well aware. He said they were talking about it. Hopefully it didn’t offend him too much.

Q: You know some people here may have freaked out if McCaffrey got hurt. You were ready to assume the risk and take the heat if that happened?

Shanahan: Yeah, I try to make decisions not based off of having to talk to you after the game. I try to make it on what I think is right for the team. Sometimes it’s right, sometimes it’s wrong. But I’m not going to think about you until after the game. Then I can just deal with it.

Q: Has Ambry Thomas made strides in practice to give you the confidence to make that move today?

Shanahan: Yeah, Ambry has made a lot of strides even going back to training camp and stuff. It was nothing against anyone in particular. Just wanted to see Demo (Lenoir) in the nickel a little bit. Demo has got kind of a knack for that, and it’ll be fun to go watch him on the plane, see how he did. But for us to make that choice, Ambry was the next man up outside.

Q: What were your initial impressions of Chase Young’s impact?

Shanahan: From what I saw there, it seemed like he had a big impact. I know watching him and Nick there on that same play, I’ll see when I watch the tape, but just having them out there and allowing our rotation to go, and from what it looked to me, I thought we rushed collectively the best that I had seen. I’ll tell you guys tomorrow after I watch it on the plane, but just watching it live on the sidelines, it seemed collectively our group had their best game yet, and that’s the goal.

Q: The sequence at the end of the first half, beginning of the second half, I know you always strive to do that, but could you breathe a little bit easier after basically a 10-point possession?

Shanahan: Yeah, that was our first time this year I felt like we did it right, that we scored on the last play of the second quarter and we started out with it in the third quarter, and then we got that touchdown. That’s what we try to do every week. We were successful this week. It was very nerve-racking watching them ice our kicker, then the TV network ice our kicker. I didn’t know what was going on. That third kick was a little tight, too. But it worked, so I’m glad.

Q: On Brock Purdy’s first touchdown pass, was that like a no-no-yes?

Shanahan: Yeah, that was honestly, I can say this because he played his ass off, he played well, but that was like one of his worst decisions I think he’s made since he’s been here, and it took me a while to get over it. I thanked him for the touchdown, but that was not a good decision. He was fortunate with it, but he made a lot of really good plays, and if you are going to make a bad decision and it’s still a touchdown, in the grand scheme of things, you can tell me it was a real good decision. But he knows that. He knows what he did wrong. But he made them right.

Q: Spinning it into a positive, the fact that — too many picks, too many mistakes by Brock, the fact that that was the first drive but he obviously still wasn’t scared and was still slinging it, does that tell you something that he still wasn’t playing scared despite the adversity?

Shanahan: I think he’s been playing the same way all this time. You don’t feel it from him at all. That’s why I know he’s had some turnovers here on our losses, but you ask anyone who’s watched all those games and stuff, he was one of the best players on the field in those games. You’re always responsible for those turnovers, but there’s sitting there saying he’s taking too many bad decisions. That was one definitely. It’s going to happen with guys. But I love having a guy who isn’t thinking about that. He’s trying to make the right decisions, letting it rip, and he’ll live with the consequences and try and get better when it’s not.

Q: You guys held Jacksonville off a bye without scoring. Is this what you envisioned your defense to look like, and is it as simple as you guys winning early downs?

Shanahan: I think it’s just playing one game at a time and not getting caught up in anything. They had a bunch of big plays. It seemed like it. They got a number of plays going with their screens a number of times. We had some big penalties that hurt us. They had some explosive plays that got down there. Every time it seemed like they got going, our guys just never stopped. You don’t get points until you cross the goal line or kick it through the uprights, and our guys made so many plays when they were getting down there, they just were relentless today, and kept going for that ball, and eventually everything took care of itself.

Q: How close was the decision on Trent Williams, and how do you think he performed?

Shanahan: It was real close. He was adamant that he was going to play. He was able to do enough to, I’d say, whatever the percentage is, 80 or whatever, but it is tough because last thing I want him to do is go out there and reinjure it or make it worse so he can’t play next week. It was tough. We talked about it a lot, all the coaches and him. We were going to keep a hard eye on him as it went, but I thought he performed well under the circumstances, and the biggest thing was just talking to him there on the sideline. He didn’t zing it, got out healthy, and had no setbacks.

Q: What did you see on the touchdown when it looked like Brock was working with zero room with the line in front of him?

Shanahan: Yeah, it was a look we were hoping for, it just takes a while. BA is running the in-route, and George is running out route, and it takes a little bit of time to get down the sidelines with the leverage I believe that 33 had on him, and Brock just tried to wait for it and waited as long as he could. I was so pumped he got it off, but he had to throw with some anticipation and didn’t know if George was going to be able to get to it because he had to bow around a little rub of man coverage, but beautiful touch on the ball. George has the skill set to explode through it, and that was a huge play in the second half for us.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN ARIK ARMSTEAD

Q: Did you have any conversations with Steve Wilks on the sideline during this game?

Armstead: A little bit. I felt his energy. He came up to us, congratulated us on some plays, and that voice telling us to keep going and don’t let up. So yeah, I definitely felt him on the sideline.

Q: How did you feel that Nick — Nick has played well, but he hasn’t been filling up the stat sheet. Did you feel something different from him today?

Armstead: Nothing different. Nick has just been doing what he has been doing — we finally had a quarterback who held on to the ball for a little bit, and we were able to show up in the stat sheet today. But Nick has been playing great all year. Whatever the criticism that comes with getting a big contract, Nick has been dominant in the pass and run game. He has been all year. It showed up in the stat sheet today, but he’s been doing that all year.

Q: Trevor Lawrence has been one of the quickest this year at getting the ball out. What was working to make him hold the ball?

Armstead: Really tying the front and the coverage. The guys on the back end were — we were disguising things. We were mixing it up. That allowed us — guys being sticky in coverage allowed us the extra hitch, and confusing him, and once we confused him, he was looking to scramble, and our job was to keep him in the pocket and get him down.

Q: Do you see any change in him? You guys got a couple right off the bat on 3rd down. Do you see anything in him where `this is going to be one of those days’ . . .

Armstead: When it starts out early, it could turn into one of those special days for you up front, and we definitely had a good day up front, but got a lot more to go. We can continue to get better, and we weren’t perfect out there, so it’s a great feeling to get a win. Haven’t felt that in a while, and it was great to play well. But turn the page for sure.

Q: On the one play where it looked like you took one in the shin  . . .

Armstead: I didn’t take one in the shin. He tripped me, kicked me in my knee and kind of messed up my day.

Q: Did you guys feel that you had something to prove after the criticism you might have been hearing?

Armstead: I mean, we know who we are. We know what we’re capable of. We have an extremely high standard for ourselves, bigger than any people or outside people can put on us. We want to be great. We want to be dominant, and we want to play at a high level. We know our team is going to need us to do that if we want to get to where we want to go. Any outside — you guys need to do this, we already put pressure, and a sense of responsibility on ourselves to go out there and put the team on our back and win games.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN NICK BOSA

Q: How would you assess your performance today?

Bosa: Really good team win. Just complementary ball all around, and a good kind of reset for us to keep going.

Q: Could you feel that Chase brings a little bit more juice just because of his numbers that it creates for your D-line?

Bosa: Yeah, I mean having him is such a big threat. I think we played off of each other well. Me and him are really excited to keep going.

Q: On that sack early in the second quarter, at that point did you guys feel that you had that game under control?

Bosa: Yeah, I mean, I think it was only a touchdown lead at the time, so definitely didn’t let up at all. Our back end did an unreal job mixing things up and kind of confusing Trevor [Lawrence], and I think we got more ops (opportunities) than we’ve had all year, by far.

Q: Beyond just the opportunity, did you feel like the coverage being tied to the pass rush, was it at a better level than it had been for most of the season?

Bosa: Yeah, I mean, sometimes match-ups work certain ways. Not a lot of teams have done what we just did to them. We just have to keep improving, keep taking it one game at a time because we’ve played really well as a D-line in certain games throughout this year and not so good in other games, but when you have these opportunities, you’ve got to make the most of them.

Q: Kyle said you especially like coming and playing in Florida. Did you feel that?

Bosa: I did. Right when I stepped off the plane, I felt the humidity, and it was just so, so good.

RUNNING BACK CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY

Q: Did you do some lobbying to get back out there?

McCaffrey: Yeah, I suck. Everyone else on the team scored except for me. No, that means a lot to me for them to keep me in at the end of the game there and try to get me that record, but hey, I’ll take a huge win.

Q: How bad did you guys need this win today?

McCaffrey: Just as bad as every other week, but definitely this one coming off of three losses. I think what I liked is it wasn’t perfect, but we just stayed with it. We kept going, kept going, and defense came up huge with a bunch of turnovers, and offensively we’ve got a lot of things that we can still get better at, which is exciting. I think we learned our lesson these last three weeks of just — we have to play good ball every week. We have to execute. We have to minimize mistakes and go out there and do what we know how to do.

Q: What does Deebo Samuel bring to the offense that we can’t quantify?

McCaffrey: Yeah, I really don’t think you can quantify it. It’s a different energy, a different burst. Just having him on the field, I’m not a D-coordinator and go play defense, but he’s somebody you have to focus on, and then what he can do when the ball is in his hands whether it’s in the receiving game or the run game is special.

Q: Did it feel like there were more lanes to run, bigger holes . . .

McCaffrey: I thought the O-line did a great job all day. That’s a really good defense. That’s a good rush defense, too, and they have the numbers to show it. I thought our guys did a great job, and it was good having 71 back out there, but I thought all five of those guys, the tight ends, Juice, they did a hell of a job sticking with it, sticking with the run game, getting some of those gritty yards, and then in the second half start to pop some of them.

Q: What were your impressions of how Brock played?

McCaffrey: Awesome. Brock played awesome. He did what he knows how to do, and that’s play well, play beyond the Xs and Os, and I thought he did great.

Q: You say you learned your lessons the last couple weeks. The bye week, was that well situated for you to do some reflection?

McCaffrey: Definitely. The bye week was huge. I think everybody needed a little mental, emotional and physical rest.

Q: Did you wish Kyle Juszczyk would have gone down at the 1?

McCaffrey: Yeah, Juice really wanted me to score, unless he could score. I’m so happy. Anytime Juice can score, I’m probably the second most excited guy on the field other than him.

WIDE RECEIVER DEEBO SAMUEL

Q: How did it feel for you just to get back out there and help the squad end this losing streak?

Samuel: It felt good. Like being a month away and just not getting those wins that we were supposed to get and just coming back here and just seeing we went out on all phases, just come out with a big win.

Q: Do you feel like this was the team’s most complete game of the season?

Samuel: Looking at it from the sideline, yeah. Defense holding them to three points, four turnovers, special teams played well, and offense put up 30 points.

Q: Discuss your touchdown that you got and how the play went —

Samuel: You know, it was kind of like a reverse. I came around the edge and I didn’t see nothing but white jerseys and two blue jerseys, and I’m like, ain’t no choice but to get in the end zone right now.

Q: Seems like when you guys score, the other person celebrates more than the person that scores. Do you notice that in practice?

Samuel: I didn’t really notice that. I think everybody be excited to see whoever get in the end zone score.

Q: You mentioned this week you felt like Monday’s practice was like day one of training camp. Did you feel that energy kind of carry over to this game, like there was a little extra urgency on this one?

Samuel: I think so. I think everybody was just fresh coming off the bye week. We lost three, and we were just trying to get back on track, and that’s what we did.

LINEBACKER FRED WARNER

Q: Did you notice the defensive coordinator on the sideline?

Warner: I guess that’s the answer right there, huh? It was good. It was good having him down there, and the communication was flawless. Yeah, it was good having him down there.

Q: Were you in his ear at all during the game between series?

Warner: You know, I think it was pretty similar, honestly. I think the thing was just kind of like us being — just going into it, we wanted to make sure the communication was good in terms of the microphone, him getting the calls to me, and I thought he did a great job.

Q: Was that the first time he could directly speak to you?

Warner: Yeah.

Q: Any difference in what that was like?

Warner: There’s always going to be an adjustment period. I don’t know if he’s ever done it because I know he’s always been in the box. I think he did a great job being down there today.

Q: Did you guys come out today feeling like you had something you needed to prove as a unit?

Warner: I mean, I’d say so. Obviously there’s been — we had three games that just wasn’t us. We had to get back to playing 49er football, especially on the defensive side. I’ve spoken on it. We had to take pride in what we were putting on tape, and today I feel like we did that.

Q: Do you feel like the defensive line set the tone in today’s game?

Warner: Yeah, I think as a group, I think we played complementary football. I think obviously up front we got a lot of pressure up front to make his life difficult, and in the back end using our disguises and being sticky in coverage. I think that’s kind of what made it a little difficult for Lawrence.

Q: Could you elaborate on that? Lawrence gets the ball out really quick usually and he was patting it a little bit. What were you doing on the back end to force that?

Warner: I think early on just giving him different looks, not just — we wanted to make sure we gave great disguises in the back end to give those guys up front more time to kind of make him pat that ball and just giving a lot of different looks throughout the game.

Q: You talked about the defensive line and the back end, but the second level, you have some decent players there, too. Dre Greenlaw was banged up the last couple weeks. Did you notice more of a pep in his step today?

Warner: Absolutely. Anytime we got Dre out there early, it completely changes the defense. He’s such a great player, love playing alongside of him. The physicality that he brings, the hunt to the football, playmaking ability, he does it all. It was big having him back out there healthy.

Q: How did you think Chase Young fit in?

Warner: I think he fit in great. I guess that was the missing link right there to playing dominant defense again. It was so good having him out there. He brings such great energy. He’s obviously such a physical and dominant player. I’ll have to watch the tape to see how he truly did, but it felt like his presence was felt.

Q: Toughest interception you ever made?

Warner: Yeah, that was pretty tough. I have to say, Trevor Lawrence, he throws a good ball. It came a nice spiral to me. That’s my bad. I shouldn’t say that.

Q: You could sense it was coming the way the pressure was getting to him?

Warner: Yeah, just kind of the flow of the game. I felt like all game I had been jumping the check down when we were in zone coverage, so later in the game kind of got to have a situation I sunk back a little bit in that dig window, and he just threw it.

Q: What are you seeing from Ambry Thomas in practice throughout the week?

Warner: Man, just confidence. Confidence, and that’s truly the difference right now. I feel like he’s been getting better and better every week, just waiting for his opportunity, and I think he made the most of it today. Obviously made that big play on the sideline, but I think he just competed his tail off all week and then leading into today.

TIGHT END GEORGE KITTLE

Q: Did it feel like 49er football today?

Kittle: When you can sustain longer drives or explosive drives, whatever it is, and you don’t have penalties on 1st and 2nd down, you’re not turning the ball over, yes, that’s Niners football. We usually do a really good job protecting the ball and not getting penalties, and that’s what you guys saw today. The last couple weeks that’s all I’ve been saying is as long as we don’t turn the ball over a bunch and we don’t have penalties on 1st and 2nd down, we’re going to score a lot of points. You saw that too in the first and second quarter, whenever it was, where we had — I think we kicked the field goal, then we had to punt because we had the penalties on 1st down. As long as we can eliminate those things, our offense has enough really good football players to get yards, stay on the field and sustain long drives.

Q: This was the first time that Brock had got into a game with — a few games where he had made some turnovers and kind of had his back against the wall a little bit. How do you feel he responded to that challenge?

Kittle: I just go back to this, Brock started like 40 plus games in college. He had highest of highs, he’s had the lowest of lows. He’s dealt with mistakes. He’s had bad games in college. His confidence is still there, and that’s all I wanted him to continue doing. He knows how to bounce back. I don’t think Brock played poorly the last couple games. Yeah, sure, there’s a throw or two he probably wants back, but you look at the tape, he’s still playing at a high level those three weeks that we lost. Just this time we were able to not turn the ball over, not have penalties, so we were able to be out there, and you can see the type of quarterback Brock is.

Q: On the long touchdown you’re running a route, but did you have a chance to watch how Purdy was able to hang in the pocket?

Kittle: I have not seen it yet, but all I know is that Brock is really good in the pocket. When he has confidence in his skill players, he’s going to sit in the pocket and give you an opportunity, which is what he gave me.

Q: Can you talk us through that touchdown?

Kittle: You know what’s fun is you come in at halftime, and you sit down as an offense and Kyle brings up like hey, these are the eight to 10 plays that I want to get ran this half, and that play was the second play of the half, and that was not on those. That was not up there. I don’t know if Kyle talked about it, but he’s like, 2nd and 1, they always go man coverage, and so motion over there, we’re in 22 personnel, so two tight ends, two running backs and a wide receiver, and it gives me a one-on-one versus a linebacker, which I’ll take that any day of the week versus anybody. It was a great call by Kyle to get us in the right play, and it was exactly what we wanted it to be. It was exactly how we drew it up. I’m just thankful that Kyle called that play.

Q: Are you tired? You walked in the last like 25 yards.

Kittle: It’s really difficult to get that open. I saw him fall, I knew it was man coverage, too. I was like, well, I knew the safety went the other way because he was covering someone else. Just had some fun going into the end zone. I probably won’t ever walk in again because I’m going to get yelled at for that. But at least I didn’t drop the ball before I got in the end zone.

Q: Is that the most room you’ve ever had between you and a defender in your career?

Kittle: After he fell, yes. Yeah, that was really fun. We should do that more often.

Q: Talk about the emotional journey of the touchdown pass that went to Brandon over your head.

GEORGE KITTLE: Yeah, kind of talked about this, but I’ve heard like three times, was that a great decision by Brock. Well, since it worked, it was a great decision. But like every time I see a quarterback rolling out to his left and throwing back to the right, I just think about Brett Favre and the Vikings in the playoffs. It’s one of the biggest no-nos except when it works. It was funny, too, because Brandon is running the corner, I’m running across, and Brock is like nodding his head for us to go back, but he was like — I was talking to the defense — I was trying to sell it to the defense. I wanted you guys to keep running. My bad, Brock. Me and Brandon both fell for it, too. It went over my head a little bit, and I was like hopefully there’s someone else there outside of the defensive player. I look around, and Brandon is scoring a touchdown. I’m happy for Brandon to get back in the end zone because he had two against Pittsburgh, and it’s been kind of a dry spell for him. It’s a fun day when all the skill positions score. Unfortunately not Christian. But when your tight end and fullback are scoring, that’s great football.

Q: How do you think Brock scrambled, like his legs — he’s created a lot of plays for you guys this season. What does that bring to your offense?

Kittle: When you have a quarterback who can run a little bit and he is a threat in the run game and he also believes in his legs and he can outrun guys, it just allows plays to develop a little longer. Not everything has to be a three-step, five-step drop seven, step drop throw. When you can do a little bit extra, it’s really hard to play defense and cover guys for five seconds. It really is, especially if there’s not a lot of pressure and the quarterback is out on the side. That’s where you get all the illegal contact, that’s where the get the pass interferences. If you’re playing man coverage, it’s really hard to guard guys that long. It just allows our offensive players, our skill guys, like I said, they’re very talented, it allows us to work a little bit longer and get open.

Q: Can you explain the impact of having Deebo and Trent back in the lineup?

Kittle: What Deebo brings to the table is a lot. Especially where we line him up. When you can move him and Christian, you interchange them, the defense has to account for a lot of stuff, and then you take in all of our motions and all that stuff, there’s a lot going on for the defensive process every single play. When you have that capability, it just gets the defense kind of on their heels a little bit. Then you can attack them with Deebo, you can throw a route to Christian. That’s huge for our offense, just to have that diversity, whatever you want to call it. Then you go — look at Trent Williams, and what Trent does is besides being a first-ballot Hall of Famer left tackle still playing at a very high level, his confidence that he brings into the huddle is fantastic. The way he gets guys hyped before drives, in the middle of drives, he’s incredibly encouraging. Just when you have a guy like that who’s a very vocal leader, too, in the huddle, it just brings everybody up around him. Then also he doesn’t really need any chips or anything like that. He just manhandles anybody that he goes against, and it’s very fun to play with someone that’s probably the best to ever do it at his position.

That’s been one of the criticisms about a second-year player who has been pretty hard to criticize until recently when the 49ers lost three straight games, during which Purdy threw his first five interceptions of the season.

Purdy was back to his old self in a 34-3 road win over Jacksonville on Sunday, doing the things he does best — distribute the ball to a number of dangerous targets, avoid turnovers, be a leader.

But there was more to it than just being a selfless game manager who happened to complete 19 of 26 passes for 296 yards, three touchdown and no interceptions. Purdy’s opposite number in every way is Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft the year before Purdy was the last pick at No. 262.

The best quarterback on the field Sunday was Purdy, as the 49ers harassed Lawrence into a 17-of-29, 185-yard performance with two interceptions. It didn’t take long to determine the guy with the magic touch was the 6-foot-1, 220-pound touch passer out of Iowa State as opposed to the prototype elite talent from Clemson.

Because even when Purdy was wrong, he was right.

It happened on the 49ers’ opening drive after the defense had quickly forced a three-and-out that seemed to give the offense a spark.

After just three plays, a 6-yard run by Christian McCaffrey, a 9-yard pass from Purdy to McCaffrey and a 29-yard completion to George Kittle, the 49ers had first-and-goal at the 13-yard line.

Purdy had open space to his left and scrambled, and common sense said he should keep scrambling, get what he could and bring up second down. Instead, Purdy committed a quarterback’s cardinal sin when he looked back to his left and threw late across the middle.

“It’s one of the biggest no-nos,” Kittle said. “Except when it works.”

It’s usually a recipe for disaster. Jacksonville corner Tyson Campbell was there. So was safety Andre Cisco. Yet the ball went over Kittle’s head and into the hands of Brandon Aiyuk for a 13-yard touchdown. If that’s not magic, I’m not sure what is.

That's how you start! @brockpurdy13 @THE2ERA

#SFvsJAX on FOX
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4nCVJ pic.twitter.com/Ctfw6VJWYy

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 12, 2023

Instead of another deflating interception, the 49ers had a 7-0 lead on a six-play, 54-yard touchdown drive.

“That was like one of the worst decisions he’s made since he’s been here, and it took me a while to get over it,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “But I thanked him for the touchdown.”

Purdy, who has spent the early part of his career thinking safety first while at the same time being willing to take a calculated risk, realized afterward he’d gotten away with one.

“The smart decision was probably to continue to run and get as many yards as I can instead of putting the ball up like I did,” Purdy said. “I saw B.A. in the back of the end zone, George as well. I just put it up toward the back and B.A. came down with it. I’m not necessarily proud of that play, honestly.”

For the rest of the game, Purdy played it smart and kept making plays. He threw two more touchdown passes, a 66-yard strike to Kittle to open the second half and finally a 22-yard scoring toss to Kyle Juszczyk. The throw to Kittle came on a blind throw with a defender in his face. There wasn’t another head-scratching throw, only the kind of efficient and mature play that’s made Shanahan a Brock believer.

If Purdy’s play over the last three games had Shanahan worried, the head coach hid it well.

“I think he’s been playing the same way all this time,” Shanahan said. “You don’t feel it from him at all. I know he’s had some turnovers here and there in those losses, but you ask anyone who has watched all those games, he was one of the best players on the field.”

George cashes in at The Bank! @gkittle46

#SFvsJAX on FOX
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4nCVJ pic.twitter.com/3oOw8Riyum

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 12, 2023

As running back Christian McCaffrey put it: “Brock played awesome, he did what he does well – he played beyond the X’s and O’s and he played great.”

While predecessor Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t always seem comfortable with Shanahan’s exactitude, Purdy seems to have balanced the scales in terms of when to let it rip and when to play it safe.

“The biggest thing is playing within our scheme and if there are opportunities where if stuff breaks down, we go play some backyard football plays,” Purdy said. “But I’m not searching for those plays. I’m aggressive with what I do and how I throw the ball, but I still have to learn there are times and situations where I’ve got to be smart. They do a good job of not handcuffing me.”

Rather than dwell on the “Has Brock returned to earth?” storylines that surfaced nationally during the three-game losing streak and bye week, Purdy got away to Iowa to see his fiancee and even drove a tractor on her family’s farm. He pondered the three losses without obsessing over them.

“There’s a standard, especially with this organization,” Purdy said. “We all demand a lot of ourselves. I was more feeling the pressure within myself, because of how I played in the past. That’s where I was at, but I came in with a clear mindset.

“I’ve got dudes around me, I’ve got a great defense, be smart with the ball and make plays — play free in terms of cutting it loose but also within the scheme and being smart with the ball and that’s where I’m at.”

While Purdy was the picture of calm, Lawrence was so rattled by the 49ers defense after being sacked five times he threw a late interception directly into the hands of linebacker Fred Warner without a Jaguars receiver anywhere near the play.

It wasn’t unlike what Purdy did a few times over the last month before doubters began to wonder if he really was, as Shanahan put it during training camp, “the real deal.”

Purdy was indeed the real deal against Jacksonville, with a touch of magic thrown in.