- REWATCH: Panthers-49ers on NFL+ Premium
- READ: NFC South's second-place Panthers now No. 14 in draft
- READ: Niners' Jennings strikes Panthers safety postgame after in-game low blow
- READ: 'Mr. Reliable' McCaffrey has classic performance vs. former team
- Niners march to methodical win. San Francisco's offense didn't produce many explosive plays and certainly wasn't the cleanest operation on the night, but when they put points on the board, they did so by imposing their will on the opposition. Three of the 49ers' four scoring drives required 10-plus plays and each ate up more than six minutes of game clock, steadily moving the ball in small bites while converting more than 50 percent of third down attempts. Unsurprisingly, it came with a heavy reliance on the tireless Christian McCaffrey, who handled 22 rushing attempts and caught another seven passes to run his scrimmage yards total over 125 yards. With Brock Purdy only making his second start since returning from injury, this was always going to be San Francisco's best method of success and while we've seen the 49ers' identity morph as they've dealt with injuries, Monday night felt like a classic Kyle Shanahan-directed performance, reminding folks that the 49ers can indeed become a boa constrictor offense when necessary.
- Panthers waste collection of opportunities. Carolina intercepted Purdy three times in the first half and got a grand total of three points out of it. That alone could summarize this point, but it's important to also note that one of those interceptions gave them the ball at San Francisco's 16-yard line, a possession that ended in a giveaway via a Bryce Young interception in the end zone. On a night in which points were at a premium, the Panthers' defense couldn't have done a better job of providing their offense with opportunities to win this game. Dave Canales' group simply failed to do its part, delivering a disappointing offensive display marred by poor execution and mental errors.
- Brock Purdy shows rust in second start back. Brock Purdy's return to the lineup produced resounding success in Arizona in Week 11, a 41-22 win that functioned as proof of the value of familiarity among the most prominent offensive producers. The same was not true Monday night. San Francisco's measured offensive approach produced an impressive 15-play touchdown drive that ended in a Purdy touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings , but the road became treacherous from there. Purdy threw three interceptions on three straight possessions, leaving too much air under and/or firing passes too late and watching them land in the grasp of Panthers defenders, and his third giveaway of the half was the result of Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn outfoxing the quarterback. Despite Kyle Shanahan claiming Purdy was making the right decisions during his halftime interview with ESPN's Lisa Salters, it was clear Purdy wasn't performing anywhere near his best. Fortunately, none of it mattered much in the end thanks in large part to San Francisco's defensive efforts, but the anxiety shared among 49ers fans was palpable across the contiguous 48 states. As the importance of games increases in December, San Francisco will need its quarterback to be better than he was Monday night.
- San Francisco's defense turns in excellent night despite injury losses. The 49ers' defensive leader, linebacker Fred Warner, spent Monday night watching from a suite in Levi's Stadium. He won't play again in 2025, yet San Francisco's defense managed to thrive without him, edge rushers Nick Bosa, Yetur Gross-Matos and rookie Mykel Williams, defensive tackle Kevin Givens and linebacker Tatum Bethune, holding the Panthers to 230 yards and 1 for 7 on third down, eliminating most of Carolina's chances of climbing back into the game and denying its last-ditch attempts in the fourth quarter. While the Panthers' offense has proven tumultuous for much of 2025, San Francisco's Monday night performance was still remarkable. Defenses don't recover from the sheer volume of injuries this unit has suffered and still produce, yet defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has found a way to maximize the remaining potential. It's no wonder he was visibly ecstatic with the play of his group on Monday night: It's playing miles above expectation over the last two weeks and should be proud of how it shut down Young and Co.
- Panthers must address offensive imbalance. In a game that stood at 10-3 until late in the third quarter, Carolina inexplicably abandoned the run, giving Rico Dowdle -- the same running back who has logged three games of 130 or more rushing yards in 2025 -- a grand total of six carries (for 38 yards, an average of 6.3 yards per attempt) and fellow runner Chuba Hubbard three attempts on the night. That's nine total rushing attempts for running backs in a game that finished 20-9. Sure, a 17-3 deficit influenced game script for Canales' team, but there's little reason to be this dependent on Young and the passing game outside of the fact the 49ers struggle to generate a consistent pass rush. Sometimes, a stubborn commitment to the rushing attack can produce game-altering plays, but are typically only realized by sticking to the run. The Panthers never even considered in Monday night. If they want to finish off their surprisingly successful season properly, they'd better reflect on their approach because even after Young threw for 448 yards in a frantic comeback win over Atlanta last week, this offense is never going to reach its peak by leaning solely on its quarterback.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Panthers-49ers (via NFL Pro): All three of Brock Purdy’s interceptions came on deep passes (20-plus air yards), the most by a quarterback in a single game since Nick Mullens in Week 16 of 2023.
NFL Research: Christian McCaffrey became the third running back in NFL history to have 50-plus receiving yards in at least 50 career games, joining Larry Centers (55) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk (50).
