49ers Bye Week Awards: Hits and misses for team this season

Quarterback Brock Purdy has had the 49ers humming this season, leading the team to a 6-1 start with a 110.1 quarterback rating.  (Stephen Lam/S.F. Chronicle) The San Francisco 49ers were looking up at two other teams in the NFC West less than two months ago.

>They were clearly inferior to the Seattle Seahawks, the defending Super Bowl champions who took the 49ers' soul and tossed it into Puget Sound in January. And they were obviously not on par with the Dream Team Rams, who had taken all hope from 31 other teams. Myles Garrett? Aaron Donald? Hello, 17-0?

>Eight weeks later, however, the 49ers - too old, too injured - have been too good for their division rivals. Week 1: 49ers 27, Rams 7. Week 5: 49ers 32, Seahawks 29.

>The 49ers entered this week's bye with a 6-1 record, two-game lead on second-place Seattle, three-game edge on the Rams (hello, 3-4) and reason to believe their best is yet to come:

>They've played only two games with All-Pro pass rusher Nick Bosa and none with just-acquired Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner.

>With only 41% of the regular season complete, it's not quite time for midseason recognition. Let's call the following the Bye Week Awards:

Offensive MVP: QB Brock PurdyPurdy is on pace for 4,245 passing yards, 36 touchdowns and endless how-did-he-escape-and-make-that-throw moments.

>In Week 2 he accounted for more touchdowns (three) than incompletions (two). He threw a franchise-record nine TD passes in the first three games. In Week 6 he became the NFL's career passer-rating leader, and his 2026 rating (110.1) would be the league's eighth highest in the 2020s.

>In his fifth season in Kyle Shanahan's offense, Purdy has earned his Ph.D. Shanahan told a Fox broadcast crew this season that Purdy now understands the "why" behind his play calls. The result, according to left tackle, Trent Williams: whoa.

>"We're starting to witness Brock's prime," Williams said in September, "and I think it's going to be a sight to behold."

Defensive MVP: linebacker Fred WarnerSpeaking of Ph.D.s in X's and O's: Last Sunday, in the fourth quarter of a 29-20 loss at Atlanta, Warner was aligned in the middle of the defense, four yards beyond the line of scrimmage, on first down from Atlanta's 35.

>Warner, with his eyes locked on QB Michael Penix, took a step to his right. Nope. That wasn't right. He took two steps to his left. Then, a split second before the snap, as if he'd been in the Falcons' huddle, Warner began sprinting to the line.

>The result: Warner stormed into the backfield after dismissing guard Corey Levin, who was lined up as a tight end, and combined with defensive end Romello Height to drop running back Bijan Robinson for a 2-yard loss.

>Like Purdy, Warner has never been better. He entered Week 8 with an NFL-high four forced fumbles - matching the most of his nine-year career - and ranked second in the league with 72 tackles. He's on pace for 175 tackles. His career high: 137.

Best Offseason Move: signing Mike EvansYeah, we knew, he'd been voted to six Pro Bowls, was the only player to begin his career with 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons and is probably destined for Canton. But: Did anyone know Evans was this good?

>After consistently seeing Evans, 33, up close, it's clear he has Stephen Curry levels of gravity, opening up the offense with his 6-foot-5, 231-pound presence and playmaking ability. His let-me-take-over four-catch, 75-yard TD drive at Seattle? The 49ers haven't had a wideout like this since Terrell Owens.

>In March Evans' three-year, $42.5 million contract looked like a bargain. Now it looks cuckoo. He's the NFL's 36th-highest paid wideout, based on average annual salary, and his $4.25 million salary cap charge in 2026 is slightly above that of safety Ji'Ayir Brown ($3.9 million).

Worst Offseason Move: signing cornerbacks Nate Hobbs and Jack JonesThese weren't huge moves, but they're looming larger now: The 49ers' lack of cornerback depth could prompt a deal before the Nov. 10 trade deadline.

>After signing a one-year contract in March, Hobbs hasn't played this season due to a groin injury suffered in mid-August.

>It's not a huge surprise. His addition was another example of the 49ers increasing their injury risk by signing a player with a bulging medical file. Last season with the Packers, Hobbs suffered a torn meniscus in training camp, a sprained MCL in his left knee in November and a torn MCL in his right knee in December.

>After signing a one-year deal in April, Jones was released on Wednesday, three days after he was benched during a disastrous 22-snap, fill-in performance. It might not have been a surprise: In July, defensive coordinator Raheem Morris called Jones a "playmaker" before offering: He also had a penchant for giving up plays.

Most Improved: cornerback Renardo GreenAfter Green's interception in the season opener against the Rams, play-by-play man Noah Eagle described him to viewers as a player who was benched in last season's divisional-playoff loss in Seattle.

>That wasn't entirely accurate. Green was briefly removed from the game for a botched assignment that inspired sideline screaming from Shanahan. However, as Eagle's comment reflected, that was the enduring image of Green's sophomore-slump season.

>Green's third season has been what the 49ers had in mind when they made him a second-round pick in 2024. Green's three interceptions are tied for most in the NFL, are the 49ers' only picks of the season and are two more than Green had in 31 games in his first two years.

>A 49ers cornerback who picks passes? The team's corners combined for five picks from 2024-2025.

Most Disappointing: kicker Eddy PiñeiroLast year's nicknames reflected his automatic status: Eddy Money and Eddy Dinero. This year, frustrated fans are calling him names they once reserved for Jake Moody.

>Piñeiro had cashed in, signing a four-year, $17 million extension, after he made 28 of 29 field-goal attempts in 2025. A year later, Shanahan is now routinely being asked: Will the 49ers be holding kicker tryouts?

>Pineiro ranks 30th of 31 qualifying kickers in field-goal percentage (66.7%) and 26th of 28 in extra-point percentage (84%).

>What's happening? Pineiro said last Sunday that he would review tape during the bye in hopes he can pinpoint his issues. There is hope for a turnaround. He ranks third in NFL history in field-goal percentage, and all three of his misses this season have come from 50-plus yards (one was blocked).

Best PlayA year after rookie defensive tackle Alfred Collins had a game-shifting forced fumble in a Week 5 road win over the Rams, it happened again: Rookie defensive tackle Gracen Halton had a game-shifting forced fumble in a Week 5 road win over the Seahawks.

>The difference: Halton scored a touchdown after Collins prevented a score. How big was the fourth-round pick's play? If he didn't make it, the 49ers might be currently tied with the Seahawks in the NFC West.

>With the 49ers leading 14-13 with 18 seconds left before halftime, Halton, on first down from Seattle's 4-yard line, stripped the ball from running back George Holani, recovered the loose ball in the end zone and busted out a memorable big-man celebratory dance.

Worst Decision(s): training staffIn Week 1, rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling hopped off the field with an ankle injury in the first quarter, returned and collapsed on his eighth snap back in the game, falling down on a route when he wasn't touched. Stribling hasn't played since. And he won't play until at least December after undergoing surgery to repair a sprained deltoid ligament.

>Last Sunday, All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey missed most of the first half with a hamstring strain that was initially termed a thigh injury, later saying his leg "just died" on him.

>Still, McCaffrey, one of the most indispensable players on a then-unbeaten team, returned when he was clearly compromised: McCaffrey had to pull up when chasing Falcons linebacker Kendal Daniels on a fourth-quarter interception.

>The 49ers are hardly alone when it comes to putting a hobbled player back in a game. But their almost annual flood of injuries has inspired extra scrutiny. General manager John Lynch, unwittingly, might not have helped matters when he suggested a surprising possible source for McCaffrey's hamstring discomfort.

>"If you ask Christian," Lynch said on KNBR, "that's just because they dug in it so hard during the game to try to keep him going."

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