Golden Nuggets: Let it be known… it’s Victory Monday

49ers’ Brock Purdy gets high marks vs. Browns, including for throws he didn’t attempt (paywall)“There were also no near-interceptions for Purdy. In fact, he had seven throwaways in windy Cleveland on Sunday, the same amount he had altogether in his four previous games.

One of them came on a third-quarter bootleg that was snuffed out by Garrett. Rather than straining for a completion or trying to outrun the defensive end, Purdy sailed the ball out of bounds. That drew a critique from Garrett, who had one sack Sunday and who has a shot at setting the single-season sack record.

“He was like, ‘Come on, bro!’ and smiled at me,” Purdy said. “And I was like, ‘Sorry, bro.’ But it’s nothing but love and respect. He’s really cool. But he’s (also) a monster. So you’ve gotta be smart in certain situations like that.”

Clelin Ferrell delivers his best game yet in return engagement with 49ers (paywall) “He added two sacks Sunday in a blowout win over the Browns. Yet two weeks earlier, he had been relegated to a healthy scratch. Vindicated much? “I wouldn’t say vindication,” Ferrell said. “I’m not owed anything from this team.”

49ers’ Brock Purdy, swagger intact, begins beatdown of Browns by barking at Myles Garrett (paywall)“Of course, the hip-hop dance wasn’t the first sign Purdy wasn’t carrying confidence-crushing baggage after his stinker in a 20-9 win over the Panthers the previous Monday night. Backup QB Mac Jones laughed when Purdy’s back-and-forth with the carved-from-granite Garrett, 6-foot-4 and 272 pounds, was relayed.

“I guess you’ve got to really be feeling yourself if you’re doing that,” Jones said. “Yeah, when I’m out there with Myles, I’m not saying a word.”…After the 49ers’ walkthrough practice Saturday, Purdy addressed the team and discussed the “Dougie,” suggesting he was loose after his lousy prime-time performance. His excitement about the dance wasn’t exactly news: Left tackle Trent Williams said Purdy had been working on his moves during practice throughout the week.

“He called it out,” Jones said. “He had a team speech and he’s like, ‘I’m going to hit the ‘Dougie’ tomorrow when we score. And it was A-plus. Ten out of 10. I mean, he definitely practiced, but he looked good.’”

Kawakami: For the 49ers, now it’s a short sprint to the good stuff (paywall)“So what’s possible beyond this glimmering mini vacation? The 49ers have an easy one after the bye week — a home game against the currently 1-11 Titans on Dec. 14. (The 49ers are 6-1 in the week after their bye since the start of the 2019 season.)

Then the 49ers will face the toughest stretch by far of this abnormally easy schedule. They’ll travel to Indianapolis to play the 8-4 Colts on Monday Dec. 22, host the 9-3 Bears on Dec. 28, then finish the regular season at home against the Seahawks the weekend of Jan. 3 (the game can be either Saturday or Sunday depending on league and TV directives).

Can the 49ers go 3-1 to the finish line and get to 12-5 and essentially clinch a wild-card spot? Can they go 4-0 and be in play for the NFC’s No. 1 seed at 13-4? It’s possible. I don’t think that last one is likely, but stranger things have happened.“

The 49ers avoided a trap with a smart Brock Purdy game and special teams masterclass “I thought Brock Purdy overwhelmingly made the right decision. The All-22 could tell a different story, but he threw the ball away at smart times when he sometimes doesn’t. He made sharp throws. He bought time and avoided sacks, but didn’t get too greedy. It was an excellent day.

The other offensive contributors shouldn’t be ignored. George Kittle had crucial catches and blocks, and while the run game wasn’t efficient, it churned. It was a 2.8-yard-per-carry performance on 33 attempts, and what that means in a game like Sunday’s, is time. The 49ers churned clock.“

Blissfully arrogant 49ers brimming with confidence as bye week finally arrives (paywall)“Fellow rookie Upton Stout was also a standout Sunday. The undersized cornerback delivered big hits in run defense while also playing tight coverage. The 49ers allowed only 49 yards rushing in the second half after giving up 89 in the first half, thanks to some heavier fronts and stunts.

McCaffrey said he enjoyed watching the defense in the second half and the team dynamic as a whole right now.

“I love our character, I love our urgency and I like where we’re at,” he said.

Where they’re at is in the playoffs if the season ended today (which it doesn’t). The players will have to show up at the facility for a couple of days before getting the rest of the week off. A well-deserved break.“

Resilient 49ers ready for bye after winning three straight“Looking from the outside in, if people would’ve said, ‘Hey, you guys are going to be 9-4 going into the bye and you’re not going to have Fred Warner and Nick Bosa and Kittle is going to miss the first five weeks and Brock’s going to miss six, seven games, I think a lot of people would have laughed,” Kittle said. “Kudos to our coaching staff, coach [Kyle] Shanahan and [general manager John] Lynch for bringing in the right guys to fill in those spots and developing players to take advantage of those situations.”

Going into the Sunday night game, the 49ers have a game and a half lead on the Detroit Lions for the seventh and final spot in the NFC playoffs. Sunday’s win, paired with the Los Angeles Rams’ loss to the Carolina Panthers, also pulled the Niners back within a game of the Rams in the NFC West division.

What’s more, the 49ers have done most of their damage against opponents in the division (a 4-1 mark) and the conference (8-2), giving them a leg up in many of the primary tiebreakers down the stretch.“