The San Francisco 49ers were extremely sloppy in their 29-20 loss to the Atlanta Falcons . No one played up to their capabilities, which wasn't surprising.
It's hard to hold this performance against the 49ers as something groundbreaking. This is a game that they will want to put behind them as fast as they can.
And with the Bye Week in full effect, it'll be easy for them to do. However, one thing did stand out emphatically against the Falcons, and that's Mike Evans being the real 49ers MVP.
Brock Purdy gets all of the praise and the MVP narrative push, but against the Falcons, he looked like a quarterback who couldn't perform without relying on Evans.
In fact, that's been the case since the moment Evans left Week 6 against the Washington Commanders with an Achilles injury. The 49ers' offense falls off significantly without him.
In the six quarters that the 49ers have been without Evans, they've mustered only 23 points. Purdy has only managed one touchdown pass and has thrown two interceptions in that span.
If you're a big EPA person: the 49ers offense ranked second in EPA per play with Evans at .193. They fall to -0.055 EPA per play without him in six quarters.
As great as Purdy has played this year, it's tough to argue that Evans isn't as important, if not more. For Purdy, he clearly needs Evans to excel, making Evans the real MVP, not him.
Oct 4, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans (5) during the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Maybe Purdy will excel again the more he can trust Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing, Brandin Cooks, and Christian Kirk. The odds are that he will need to.
It's not guaranteed that Evans will be back in Week 9 after the Bye against the Las Vegas Raiders. Evans is nursing Achilles tendinitis. That can hamper him for the next month or longer.
If Purdy wants to fuel his MVP narrative, he'll need to prove he can still excel without Evans. I'm not saying he needs to throw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns.
That's unfair. Purdy will struggle without Evans. That's a given, but can he still have a few drives where he's balling out?
He could've had an MVP drive against the Falcons in the end, had he not thrown his second interception on the second-to-last series of the game.
A touchdown drive there would've fueled his MVP narrative. Instead, he looks like a quarterback who needs Evans to thrive at an MVP level.
Having Deebo Samuel and Demarcus Robinson back wouldn't have dramatically changed everything either. It would've been much better, but compared to Evans, it's night and day.
MVP talks surrounding Purdy should cool off until then.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/49ers/onsi as Why Mike Evans is the Real 49ers MVP .
