SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — A lopsided win in Brock Purdy’s return to the starting lineup has the San Francisco 49ers back in familiar position, competing for a playoff spot after a rare blip in 2024.

A record-setting performance by Bryce Young has the Carolina Panthers in an unfamiliar spot headed into their game against San Francisco on Monday night.

The Panthers (6-5) have a winning record this late in the season for the first time since 2018 and can take a step toward ending the second-longest active playoff drought in the NFL by upsetting the 49ers (7-4) in a matchup of NFC playoff contenders.

“My job is to really just sell the championship moments that we have, the championship opportunity,” said second-year Carolina coach Dave Canales. “Talking about this week, playing on Monday night against the Niners, a team that I really respect, that’s a great opportunity for us. There will be a couple more cameras out there. It’s going to be under the lights. This will be a great environment for our guys and easy for me to sell just what these games feel like. It’ll feel like a playoff environment, certainly against a playoff caliber type of team. These are the opportunities that we need.”

The Panthers last made the postseason in 2017, with the New York Jets the only team that has gone longer without a playoff trip. Carolina is coming off a 30-27 overtime win at Atlanta last week thanks to a franchise-record 448 yards passing from Young.

Purdy wasn’t nearly as prolific in his return after missing six games with a toe injury, throwing for 200 yards in a 41-22 win at Arizona. But he had three TD passes and had the Niners looking much more like the unit that went to the NFC title game in 2022 and the Super Bowl in 2023 when the team had a healthy Purdy and Christian McCaffrey.

The 49ers have survived a run of injuries that have sidelined Purdy and other stars like George Kittle, Fred Warner and Nick Bosa for significant time.

“I’m excited just with the momentum that we have going and guys ready to go in on this challenge of finishing out the season strong,” Purdy said. “I think more than anything, we all believe in each other. We’ve gotten tight.”

McCaffrey’s reunion

McCaffrey will face his original team for the first time since Carolina traded him to San Francisco during the 2022 season. McCaffrey was the eighth overall pick by the Panthers in 2017 and earned All-Pro honors in his third season when he became the third player to top 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season.

McCaffrey is on pace to duplicate that mark this season. He said his focus is the Niners more than the reunion game.

“I’m approaching it the same way I approach every game,” he said. “I take them all serious and, this one obviously, where our team’s at, where their team’s at, we’ve got to come out ready to go, ready to execute.”

Young in the clutch

Since entering the league as the No. 1 pick in 2023, Bryce Young has led 10 game-winning drives in his career, including four this season. That is tied for the third most by a player before turning 25 since the 2000 season and tied for the most among QBs since 2023.

On those winning drives, Young has completed 73.5% of his passes with a passer rating of 115.2. Last week, Young led a winning drive in overtime after he had left the game briefly in the first half with an ankle injury.

“I’m just proud of the way that he just pushed through for his teammates,” Canales said. “It just speaks volumes to the type of leader that he’s continued to grow into, and to be able to be available for his guys and find a bunch of different guys in different situations.”

McMillan stepping up

Since trading Adam Thielen in the preseason, the Panthers have received a huge contribution from rookie Tetairoa McMillan.

McMillan, the No. 8 pick in the NFL draft, is coming off a career-best game with eight catches, 130 yards and two touchdowns. He leads Carolina with 54 receptions for 748 yards, the most receiving yards and receptions by a rookie this season.

Kicking questions

The 49ers had appeared to solve their kicking questions when they signed former Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro before Week 2 to replace Jake Moody. Pineiro made all 22 of his field goal attempts this season before injuring his right hamstring last week.

That forced the team to sign Matt Gay, who had just been cut by Washington after missing two field goals in a loss to Miami last week. Gay went 13 of 19 on field goals for Washington this season, with five of the six misses coming from at least 50 yards.

Carolina has won three of its six games this season on a field goal on the final play by Ryan Fitzgerald.

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AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report

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