Kyle Shanahan addresses criticism of Purdy’s arm strength after back-to-back weeks with deep ball TDs

“Shanahan’s point is not that Purdy is the greatest thrower of the football that he’s ever seen. But his arm talent is better than the 49ers expected when he was drafted, and it’s more than functional given his processing ability.”

Why 49ers rookie Ji’Ayir Brown was ready for his big moment (paywall)

“I was not nervous at all,” Brown said. “I was ready for the moment. I’ve been in big games before. I’ve played in front of 110,000 (fans). I strongly believe football is one of things I was made to do. I just leaned on that.”

It worked.

With the Buccaneers trailing 27-14 with 6:45 left, Brown made the first of three big plays in a three-minute, game-sealing span: On 4th-and-4 from the 49ers’ 12-yard line, he broke up an end-zone pass to Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans.

On Tampa Bay’s next series, on 2nd-and-6 from the 49ers’ 9-yard line, he blasted Cade Otton as the tight end juggled a pass in the end zone. On the next snap, he dove in the end zone to pick off a pass that had caromed off the helmet of teammate Dre Greenlaw, who was covering Bucs wide receiver Chris Godwin.”

How PFF graded Brock Purdy, 49ers in Week 11 win vs. Buccaneers

“Warner received the top score on defense with his involvement across all levels. The All-Pro linebacker registered a quarterback sack (PFF counts half sacks as 1.0), forced a fumble and registered seven total stops. In coverage, Warner allowed catches on all six targets, but for only 20 total yards.”

49ers LG Aaron Banks remains out of practice on estimated report

“The 49ers already announced that All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga tore an ACL during Sunday’s game and will miss the remainder of the season. Otherwise, the team is fairly healthy.

Left guard Aaron Banks (toe) has missed the past two games, but coach Kyle Shanahan expressed optimism that Banks will be able to return this week.

Right guard Spencer Burford (knee) also would not have practiced Monday, but he played all 60 snaps Sunday.

The 49ers estimated defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (thumb), cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles (shoulder) and wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud (rib) as limited participants.”

49ers minutia minute: Arik Armstead crashed quarterback like never before (paywall)

“For the second straight game, the 49ers tapped Lenoir, not Oliver, as their nickel cornerback, which put Thomas in some critical one-on-one matchups against Evans. The Buccaneers targeted him five times, completing three passes for 16 yards, including Evans’ short touchdown.”

49ers reportedly signing Ben Bartch off Jaguars practice squad

“Bartch, a fourth-round selection in the 2020 NFL draft, worked his way into the starting lineup early in his career and won the left guard job in training camp ahead of the 2022 season. However, he suffered a knee injury early in the year that ended his season and caused him to miss much of training camp in 2023.

The Jaguars re-inserted Bartch into the Week 1 starting lineup this season, but benched him in favor of Tyler Shatley after three games. He was eventually waived after a trade to acquire Ezra Cleveland and landed on the practice squad.”