SANTA CLARA — As excited as Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers are for rookie Ji’Ayir Brown’s starting debut Thursday night in Seattle, it comes in the wake of safety Talanoa Hufanga’s season-ending knee injury.
“Really bummed about Huf,” Shanahan said Monday morning on a media conference call.
Hufanga, who made All-Pro last season, is confirmed to have sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in Sunday’s 24-17 home win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He got hurt attempting to make an open-field tackle in the third quarter as the Bucs’ Rachaad White faked going inside before bursting past Hufanga’s left side.
Hufanga did not sustain further damage to his meniscus or other ligaments.
“It was as clean as it could be for an ACL,” said Shanahan, adding that the recovery timeline puts Hufanga in line to return for the start of next season, barring any setbacks.
Sunday’s win raised the 49ers’ record to 7-3, and, shortly thereafter, they took over sole possession of first place in the NFC West when the Seahawks (6-4) lost 17-16 at the Los Angeles Rams (4-6).
Hufanga had started all 10 games for the 49ers (7-3) and he ranks as their fourth-leading tackler (50) with three interceptions, tied with Fred Warner for the team lead. Although Hufanga wasn’t having a great year, he consistently brings a positive presence to the locker room.
“He started out well, hit a little lull during our skid, played one of his best games vs. Jacksonville (the previous Sunday), and I thought the same thing was going to happen here,” Shanahan said of Sunday’s closing act. “I thought he was going to have a really good year.”
Now the spotlight turns to Brown, a third-round draft pick out of Penn State. Upon replacing Hufanga on Sunday, he yielded a 41-yard catch on an eventual touchdown drive, then made three pass breakups and sealed the win with a diving interception in the end zone of a ball that ricocheted off Dre Greenlaw’s helmet.
“The coolest thing about him, and you heard it from guys yesterday, is the way he’s been practicing every week,” Shanahan said. “He’s been practicing like he knew this moment was coming. He’s been locked in and that’s extremely impressive for a rookie. That’s why he was ready for his moment last night and he made some big plays that helped us win.”
Brown, standing at his locker with the interception ball in his right hand, said of his integration into a star-studded defense: “I’m always confident. When you’ve got guys around you that are Pro Bowlers, you want to live up to their standard. I like to show them I belong out there with them.”
PICTURESQUE PURDY
A day later, Brock Purdy’s performance looked as impressive as indicated by his 158.3 passer rating, the highest attainable mark.
“It looked a lot like it did live. He played at a real high level, made real good decisions, was very smart with the ball,” Shanahan said. “He played like his numbers looked. It was very impressive.”
The only 49ers quarterbacks to previously reach it were Joe Montana and Steve Young, both in the 1989 season. Purdy, however, was the first to do so by attempting over 20 passes; he completed 21-of-25 for 333 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Purdy, 23, joined Lamar Jackson (Ravens) and Jared Goff (then with the Rams) as the only quarterbacks under the age of 24 to attain a passer rating of 158.3.
Purdy is only eight months removed from having internal brace surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament from last season’s NFC Championship Game loss in Philadelphia. As for his arm strength, it has impressed Shanahan as far back as when Purdy reported for his first day of 49ers practice after being the final pick in the 2022 draft.
“It’s definitely stronger than what we thought it was when we drafted him, but we saw that at the first day of rookie minicamp,” Shanahan said. “When people talk about arm strength, yeah can he sit there, take three hitches, make the wrong decision and just wait to throw it 70 yards down the field? Probably not. But when do you want a guy to do that, on a Hail Mary? … Guys who can make all the throws in the timing of the play, which is usually going by the right decisions — when to throw it deep, when to throw it down, when to go over the middle — Brock’s always had the arm strength to make all those throws.”
BIG FAVORITES
The 49ers opened as 7-point favorites with an over/under set at 43 points, according to ActionNetwork.com. It’s the third straight year the 49ers are favored entering Seattle, and they’ve never been as big a favorite since the Seahawks were realigned into the NFC West in 2002 and opened their current stadium downtown. The only time the 49ers have been favored by more in Seattle was the series opener in 1976, when they won 37-21 to cover a 10.5-point spread.
“I don’t care what the situation is, who’s playing, what the teams are like,” Shanahan said.
“You go up to Seattle, it’s as hard as it gets. It’s one of the toughest places to play in the NFL, if not the toughest. They have a certain style there and the way they play that is harder to deal with on the road because of how loud it is and the snap-count disadvantage. It’s always tough to go there and I also know, just starting with them today, how many good players they have and how they’re coached and how big of a challenge it will be this Thursday.”
Injuries to quarterback Geno Smith (elbow) and running back Kenneth Walker III (oblique) have cast doubt on their availability. Shanahan said that will not significantly impact the 49ers’ game plan, noting that the Seahawks’ energy, play-making style and ability to overcome adversity have long been staples under coach Pete Carroll.
“Their style and how they look and what they show on tape is always a huge challenge and it starts with Pete,” Shanahan said.
CHARVARIUS WARD’S GAME
Although cornerback Charvarius Ward needed attention after an end zone collision with Tashaun Gipson Sr., Shanahan believes Ward simply had the wind knocked out of him. Ward had nine tackles and broke up two passes, including one in front of the 49ers bench and the Hail Mary attempt at the goal line at game’s end.
“He had a hell of a game. He had extremely good coverage on a number of those completions too. Baker had really good throws into tight coverage,” Shanahan said. “He was real sticky all day. He would have picked that Hail Mary but he did what coached to do and knocked it down.”
OTHER HEALTH REPORTS
Shemar Jean-Charles, a reserve cornerback and special-teams ace, has a shoulder injury but it is not considered a long-term issue.
Shanahan reported no other injuries, though more could surface today if players come in for treatment on what otherwise is an off day. A light practice is slated for Tuesday at 5 p.m., then the 49ers fly Wednesday to Seattle.
Left guard Aaron Banks (toe) has missed the past two games and Shanahan said last week there was a chance Banks returns to face the Seahawks, whose artificial turf may not make for an enticing welcome mat back to action.
THANKSGIVING MEMORIES
Shanahan’s memories of Thanksgiving immediately traced to his childhood and delaying dinner until his father, Mike, got home from coaching, which included Super Bowl-winning seasons as the 1994 49ers offensive coordinator and the 1997-98 Denver Broncos head coach.
“I always loved Thanksgiving growing up. You just get to watch football all day,” Kyle Shanahan said. ” Just waiting for my dad to get home, and we all sit there starving. He gets home about five minutes before our meal and it’s usually a few hours later than everyone else’s so we’re all irritated with him.
“I know we got to play in Thanksgiving in Dallas when I was with Washington and we got a huge win (in 2012),” Shanahan added. “We started out 3-6 that year and went on a big run, and we had a big game vs. Dallas, which I feel led us the rest of the year to get to the playoffs, which was one of the more fun Thanksgiving days I’ve had in the NFL.”