Why the 49ers must bench a quarterback who is playing well

I'll give you 265 million reasons.

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers appear to be grappling with the decision to start Brock Purdy this week. Purdy appears to be healthy enough to play now, but the question is how healthy, and then how much does the team want to disrupt the flow of the offense by changing a vital piece?

While Mac Jones has run the offense well, if they want to go for it this year, it makes sense to get back to Purdy as soon as possible. 

San Francisco 49ers must start Brock Purdy against Arizona Cardinals

Jones is playing some of the best football of his career. The 49ers' offense is above average. Still, they are just 2-3 in their last five games. The defense is falling apart, and it will be impossible for them to be relied on for the rest of the season. So, the offense cannot just be above average; if they want to compete, they have to have the best offense in the NFL. 

Mac Jones has led a good offense, but if the bar is best in the NFL, he has not done that yet. On a normal team with a good defense, Jones would be doing just well enough, and the team would have a hard time moving on from someone who is moving the ball like this. However, this team is going to need more, and sitting at 6-4, they have to see if they can get more before the playoffs. 

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The odds are that Purdy will not be able to make the offense so good that it overcomes this defense, either. Still, the whole purpose of paying him the salary that they did is because they believe the chances of the offense becoming elite are higher with Purdy than with your standard quarterback. Jones can make the offense run, but Purdy can take it to the next level. 

When comparing the two play styles, Purdy comes with a little more bust. He puts the ball in harm's way more often. However, that does tend to lead to a little more boom. Purdy hits big passes down the field, he hits tight windows, and he makes more plays out of the pocket, and when things break down within the pocket more than Jones does. These are the plays that can take the unit up another level. 

The team still has no real update on Ricky Pearsall or Brandon Aiyuk, but there is that glimmer of a thought that they can get their two wide receivers and quarterback healthy before the playoffs. If this crew can get on the same page before the games really matter and they can get into the playoffs looking hot, it is their only realistic chance of making a run with the roster constructed this way. So, the team will need to give Purdy a shot much sooner than later.