STWF Sports | SAN FRANCISCO | Nov. 24, 2025 — What started as a routine Monday Night Football matchup has turned into a full-scale quarterback controversy in the Bay Area. Brock Purdy, the 49ers’ $265 million franchise quarterback, delivered his worst half of football as a pro, throwing three first-half interceptions against the Carolina Panthers — and igniting a fanbase meltdown that spread across social media in real time.
Despite San Francisco somehow taking a 10–3 halftime lead, all conversation centered on Purdy’s disastrous performance and whether head coach Kyle Shanahan should turn to backup Mac Jones to steady the offense.
A Nightmare Start for Purdy
Purdy opened the game looking out of rhythm, late on throws, and visibly rattled by Carolina’s disguised coverage looks. By halftime, he had completed just 14 of 23 passes for 114 yards, tossing one touchdown but matching it with those three brutal interceptions — all of which killed promising drives and gave the Panthers short fields.
He became the first quarterback this season to throw three interceptions before the break, an unwanted milestone that fueled calls for an immediate benching across national and local circles.
On X, formerly Twitter, Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe didn’t bother with subtlety:
“Mac Jones, get ready. Purdy is awful 2nite.”
Barstool Sports’ Big Cat echoed the sentiment:
“Mac Jones time.”
And thousands of fans flooded timelines with the same message: bench Purdy.
How Did San Francisco Still Lead?
The 49ers defense — and Panthers miscues — deserve all the credit for the halftime advantage.
While Purdy repeatedly put his defense in bad spots, San Francisco’s front seven responded with relentless pressure and key third-down stops. Linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa disrupted Carolina’s offensive rhythm, forcing the Panthers to settle for a single field goal despite operating in plus territory multiple times.
Shanahan also leaned heavily on Christian McCaffrey and the quick passing game to stop Purdy’s bleeding, engineering a late drive that produced a short touchdown pass and allowed the Niners to escape the half with momentum.
But even that TD wasn’t enough to calm the noise.
Is the Mac Jones Era Upon Us?
Mac Jones, the former Patriots first-round pick acquired as a reclamation project, has been largely invisible this season. Still, he represents something fans crave tonight: stability.
Jones has been praised behind the scenes for his command of the system and mental processing — two traits Purdy typically excels at but struggled with Monday. If Purdy’s meltdown continues, Shanahan may face the rare situation of having to pull a healthy franchise quarterback for performance reasons.
Shanahan has defended Purdy as relentlessly as any coach in the league, but even he can’t ignore the optics of three first-half giveaways from a player the team has invested in long-term.
The bigger question: would a switch be temporary or spark a full-scale QB controversy heading into December?
Pressure Mounting on the 49ers
San Francisco entered the night fighting to keep pace in the NFC playoff race, and Purdy’s struggles come at the worst possible time. With a roster built to win now — and a defense playing championship-caliber football — turnovers simply can’t continue at this rate.
If Purdy steadies himself in the second half and leads the 49ers to victory, Monday night will be remembered as an ugly yet survivable blip.
If not, “Mac Jones time” may go from trending topic to official depth-chart reality.
For now, the 49ers’ franchise QB walks into the locker room knowing every snap from here forward may determine the narrative of his season — and perhaps the future of San Francisco’s quarterback room. What is next for the NF:’s most recent Redemption story ?
