49ers quarterback Brock Purdy played a sloppy first half in Monday night’s game against the Panthers, but his team still leads 10-3 at the break.
Purdy opened the game by leading a 15-play touchdown drive that lasted nearly nine minutes, but then threw interceptions on each of the team’s next three possessions. The 49ers defense had an interception of their own and held the Panthers to a field goal before the 49ers were able to score Matt Gay’s first field goal since joining the Niners.
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The 49ers appeared to be capable of scoring even more points, but Purdy missed three straight passes before the 47-yard kick with a minute left in the first half. Purdy finished the half 14 of 23 for 114 yards while Christian McCaffrey had 83 yards on 17 touches.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was no better than Purdy in the first 30 minutes. He followed Purdy’s first interception by trying to force a ball to tight end Mitchell Evans in the end zone and 49ers safety Ji’Ayir Brown recovered it to keep the Panthers off the board.
Young finished the half 6 of 10 for 28 yards and, according to ESPN, the Panthers are the first team to trail at halftime after a three-interception half since Week 12 of the 2021 season. They will have an opportunity to start turning things around when they receive the third quarter kickoff.
