How the 49ers' offense is still thriving without Christian McCaffrey, a third-down force (Paywall)

“Purdy was a better passer on money downs and used his legs more, which could be an indication that there aren't as many open pass catchers without McCaffrey exerting his appeal on the defense.”

Brock Purdy, Nick Sorensen and Chris Foerster preview the Week 5 game between the 49ers and Cardinals

“San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen, offensive line/run game coordinator Chris Foerster and quarterback Brock Purdy spoke to reporters after practice Thursday as the team prepares for its Week 5 game against the Arizona Cardinals . Here’s everything they shared.”

49ers Training Report: Warner and Kittle undergo conditioning

At the start of practice, Warner left the field and went back to the locker room.

A day earlier, Warner said he felt “wonderful” when asked about the ankle injury that kept him out of the second half of the 49ers' Week 4 game against the New England Patriots.

Branch: Will the 49ers contain Kyler Murray or get burned by the Cardinals quarterback on hot Sunday? (paywall)

“Catching him,” Bosa said, “is the problem.”

Murray, a 5-foot-10, 207-pound mobile quarterback who former 49ers defensive tackle DeForest Buckner once compared to a “squirrel,” will visit Levi's Stadium still fully capable of tackling pass rushers to run ragged. But he's also now equipped to do more with his right arm.

Murray, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, will arrive having thrown one interception in 108 attempts through the first four games of the season while maintaining a completion percentage (69.4%) and passer rating (104.6). can show that would be career bests.

“He’s the best he’s ever been,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “What he has developed over time is the ability to really stay in the pocket and play the position at a really high level. He was always phenomenal. He can play at an MVP level at any time.”

Purdy is trying to maintain his competitive edge as his NFL career blossoms

“The challenge for me now is, man, how do I continue to maintain the mentality of having that chip on my shoulder and playing every down in the game for four quarters?'' Purdy said Thursday.

Of course, Purdy entered the NFL as the 262nd and final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. So he stepped into the spotlight with a desire to prove he belonged.

“When I first came into my rookie year, there was this energy of, 'Hey, I'm a young guy thrown in, man, I'm just going to show my guys that I'm competitive and do my best can “take every loss and every game and give our team a chance,” Purdy said. “And sometimes when you play for a long time, you can kind of lose that.”

49ers notes: Purdy says defense adjusted, 1 name added to injury report

“The cause of these fights is not entirely clear. McCaffrey's absence is an obvious factor, but is it just that or a lack of execution? Or something else. Offensive coach/running game coordinator Chris Foerster took the blame for poor play preparation in the red zone.

“The first blame lies with myself,” said Foerster. “We had one call in Minnesota, LA and New England in the last three weeks, three calls we made in the red zone earlier in a series. Those were bad suggestions on my part to put on the list. Even though we thought we could run the plays without having the foresight to think (the defense) could do something different. We had prepared pieces for what we expected, they had something different. They were bad calls. I put her on the list as the number one caller and told me to call her.”