Padecky: It’s reality check time for 49ers

Not that the misery of others should be a comfort and it’s immature to say this but the vibe around the 49ers today is sunshine and roses compared to Patriots employees diving under their desks every time coach Bill Belichick and his tantrums walk by.

Yes, things could always be worse but 49ers fans hope and pray that Sunday in Cleveland the basement was reached. Would there be something more subterranean if what happened in Ohio continues?

What if...

The offensive line remains porous, less than stout, so much so coach Kyle Shanahan can’t afford to send tight end George Kittle into a pass pattern. Kittle, the best blocking tight end in the NFL, had to remain on the offensive line to block the Browns, which explains why Kittle caught one pass for one yard.

Quarterback Brock Purdy shows glimpses that he is still very much young, still comparatively inexperienced and prone to play as he is, a second-year player. True, the Browns have one of the best defensive lines in the league but that wouldn’t explain why Purdy overthrew a wide-open Christian McCaffrey for a sure touchdown. That Purdy had trouble throwing a wet football was a bit of a surprise as well, considering he played at Iowa, where the only domes there are 70-year-old guys with no hair.

Purdy has to run an offense without Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams and McCaffrey? The anchor of the offensive line, Williams, in his 13th year, left the stadium after the game with his foot in a boot. He’s listed as day-to-day. McCaffrey, who has been on the Injured reserve list three times in his career, had to leave the game with a rib injury. He is is undergoing an MRI to determine the severity of his injuries. Samuel, who got hurt on the first play of the game, is listed as day to day.

Before the Cleveland game the 49ers were enjoying wretched excess, to the point some were asking this question: “Is this the best 49ers team ever?” Yes, you could consider this a sober question if you were under the age of 30 and spent most of those years in Tibet searching for your inner self. The answer to that question is obvious and only needs three names: Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott.

The good news is there’s a week between games in the NFL. The bad news is there’s a week between games in the NFL. The good news: there’s a week to work on injuries. The bad news: there’s a week to analyze, dissect, muse, criticize, overreact and pull out fingernails.

A little over a week ago the 49ers played their best game of the season, beating Dallas like a drum and becoming the odds-on favorite to go to the Super Bowl. A week later the 49ers couldn’t beat a team with an obscure backup quarterback who was cut 11 times in his career.

A little over a week ago Brock Purdy was as chill as the other side of the pillow. A week later Browns defensive end Myles Garrett said, “We had him really frazzled,” an opinion no one disrupted.

A little over a week ago McCaffrey was the leading MVP candidate in the NFL. A week later McCaffrey left the game with a tweaked rib, reminding everyone that he already had been on the Injured Reserve list three times in his career, and he’s only 27.

In the course of a week, reality arrived in San Francisco and as what happens when the shine is gone, one of two things occurs. The first obscures the truth: After all, if rookie Jake Moody makes that 41-yard field goal with six seconds left, the 49ers win the game and all is good. The smell is gone. Just a bump. It’s a long season. Every team has one of those. Whatever.

The truth: the 49ers can’t win without McCaffrey. Shanahan is risking the season by overusing him. McCaffrey is second in the NFL in carries with 110 and first in the NFL with 134 touches. The temptation is there, of course. How could it not be? The man doesn’t run through a hole as much as he slices through it. McCaffrey’s game is not a power game. He’ll go inside without fear but that’s not where the money is. He’s a dash through a sliver of an opening. He’ll dip inside but he quickly evacuates. He doesn’t have the body for running into all that beef.

Everything spins off McCaffrey. Defenses become vulnerable. Samuel’s versatility comes into play. Kittle can go into the pattern. Most importantly, Purdy can play within the system. The 49ers don’t have to rely on Purdy to win the game.

The 49ers will play a game this season in which Purdy will have to win it all by himself, going 70-80 yards in a minute or two with nothing but passes. The team won’t have time to keep them honest with a run. Purdy will need all his targets. Purdy will need, especially, McCaffrey.

Purdy has shown he can handle the expectation. To date, however, it’s been with a full compliment around him, to spread a defense, to spread the pressure, to make those 11 guys across the way have heads on a swivel.

The 49ers' offense starts with McCaffrey, not Purdy, a nimble back, not a crusher. It’ll be most curious to see how Shanahan keeps McCaffrey healthy, and it won’t be because he’s using McCaffrey more than every running back in the NFL.

Purdy has room to develop, even surprise more than he has. McCaffrey does not. He’s the finished product. If he’s in the game, McCaffrey will give Purdy the time he needs to mature. If he’s not, Purdy won’t be the only 49er who will suffer. And last Sunday won’t be the last ugly game of the season.

To comment write to bobpadecky@gmail.com.