Brock Purdy threw for 365 pass yards with 71% completion rate yesterday. He also ran for 57 yards on six carries (scrambles from collapsing pockets, mostly).

He also threw two interceptions at really, really terrible times.

Last week against the Vikings, Brock threw for 272 yards with a 70% completion rate and added 19 yards on 5 rushes, again mostly scrambles and the QB sneak (that may have resulted in the concussion).

Before I go too far - Brock isn’t a God. I don’t view him as “the chosen one” or anything. But anybody watching Brock play yesterday knows that he was trying to put the team on his back. He was playing with heart and trying to make shit happen. The last drive he showed elite level processing and manipulation of the secondary by looking off defenders.

Brock’s interceptions have been absolutely brutal these last two games. And at least two of them were due to really poor decisions on his part, arguably three. I stand by the fact that the first interception by Pratt was a combination of a fantastic play by the defender and a questionable playcall. Brock could have just run out of bounds there or thrown it away - a more experienced QB probably would have known NFL defenders can make that play, but the other throws are just straight up bad decisions into high risk locations.

Brock is who we thought he is. He is a competent, capable, high-talent QB with excellent processing skills and far more talent than his draft position would indicate. He’s a gamer.

He also has made some boneheaded plays.

But Brock didn’t lose us the last three games by himself.

Why did we lose? I’ve been putting my thoughts in order over the last few days and I think it comes down to these three things.

1. Our offensive playcalling has been questionable and, at times, unimaginative. We have relied very heavily on CMC, who has carried that load happily, but we have to get more creative. The playcalling in the first five games versus the last three has been noticeably different. Where are the screens? Where are the odd backfield motions? Aside from the direct FB snap last night it felt like every play was predictable. Now maybe this is partially because Trent and Deebo being out severely hampers Kyle’s playbook, but if that’s the case then he needs to update it a bit. I still think Kyle’s a Top 5 coach in the NFL but that doesn’t mean he’s perfect. We’ve got some things to work out.

2. Our defense is a sieve. We allowed Cousins and Burrow to destroy us with short and mid passes last night whenever our DL was getting pressure. Any chance of a sack disappeared as they could easily just dump it off in a couple seconds. Bosa and the DL are getting penetration, especially on the edges, but talented QBs are stepping up in the pocket and dumping off to an open receiver within 10 yards. After checking the replays it’s evident that our secondary is playing WELL off the line, safeties playing 15 yards deep and linebackers and corners at the 10 yard range. How are you supposed to stop a 7 yard dump route when you start 10-15 yards away? I don’t know if this is a scheme or talent issue (or both) but the Vikings and the Bengals exploited it and showed our weakness to the rest of the league.

3. Execution is lacking. Poor tackles, poor OL blocking, poor discipline and penalties in dumb situations. The team needs to be intentional. Make smart decisions. Do things on purpose. Get their shit together.

This is still one of the most talented rosters in the league with one of the most innovative head coaches. I have confidence they can turn it around. Last season I was 100% sure we were boned when Jimmy went down in the Dolphins game, but it’s a long season and we’re still 5-3. We haven’t lost a game in our division yet. There’s definitely a lot to work on, but it’s not insurmountable.

It’s important to note that both the Browns and Vikings games were within a single score and could have been won. The Bengals game could have been won, too.

Despite all our problems we haven’t been blown out. We were competitive in all three games.