Offensive Coordinator Klay Kubiak Press Conference

Offensive Coordinator Klay Kubiak

Press Conference – October 16, 2026

San Francisco 49ers

Head coach Kyle Shanahan described Washington as the biggest challenge you guys have had this year. What do you think he sees there? What do you see when you watch them?

“Yeah, schematically, it’s a big challenge. They’re doing a really good job implementing the scheme that came over from Minnesota. So schematically, number one, it presents a huge challenge. They’re a defensive scheme that can really hurt you in really unique ways on any down with their blitzes, with their different coverage packages that goes on first, second, third-down. So schematically they’re a very talented defense too. If you look at their players up front, very active. They added a lot of guys in free agency. They’re just doing a good job. I think they’ve had some unfortunate games where the ball didn’t bounce their way or the game ended in a way that they should have won last week. But they’re a good team and we got our hands full. I think they’re coming in here Monday night, coming off of a hard loss, going to be very motivated to give us their best shot and we got to be ready for it. So put all those things together and I think it’s a really big challenge this week.”

It’s been so long since in training camp you went against a defense that was pretty similar schematically. I know defensive coordinator Raheem Morris didn’t overhaul it completely, but were there enough changes from what he was doing in camp on the other side of the ball that gave you some sort of advantage or different looks that you think has helped kind of early in the season?

“For sure. And we definitely commented on that throughout training camp and OTAs. Yes, a lot of things were similar, but when you talk about the front variation that Raheem’s given us, some of the different style of coverages he runs with maybe more match principles, more man principles, gave us some exposure to a lot of things that we didn’t normally see from our defense in previous years. When you look around the league, it depends on your schedule. But when you happen to play in a year where you’re playing more schemes like that, it definitely helped us. It helped us maybe understand that style of defense better for what we’re going against. So, that hopefully pays off in the long run when you start to play similar types of opponents.”

Kyle alluded yesterday to just kind of unlocking an aggressiveness with the secondary in particular. How did that kind of show up and what did that do for maybe your young receivers?

“Yeah, it was huge. I think when you go against a secondary that’s aggressive, that’s sticky in playing man-coverage, that’s aggressive in jumping routes, that they’re taking their shots, it does a lot of things. I think, one, it makes the quarterback better. It makes him more accurate. It makes him have to be more aggressive. It allows him to see the type of throws he can make versus those looks. So it challenges [QB] Brock [Purdy], challenges [QB] Mac [Jones] to see what they’re capable of doing versus that type of DB play. Our receivers, a lot of camp was man-to-man coverage and let’s be one-on-one. Let’s get open. Let’s compete. Let’s run routes versus bad leverage, all those things. And so at the end of the day, I think you go against an aggressive secondary, it makes your offense better. It challenges us every day in a good way.”

Brock Purdy is five passes away from qualifying as like the NFL’s all-time leader in passer rating. There’s a lot of data out there that you guys can study and stats. What does a coach look at in passer rating and how weighty of a stat is that?

“I don’t look at it. One, I don’t pay attention to the stats that much. But when I look at passer rating around the league, to me, you look at guys who are playing in very efficient offenses. You’re seeing guys who are distributing the ball. They’re getting completions. They’re not turning the ball over a lot which is usually a reflection of how the team’s playing. You’re running the ball, you’re playing good defense, you’re doing a good job on third-down. I think all those things add up and they’re usually what contribute to a high passer rating. So it’s kind of the way I see most good stats on offense. It’s a reflection of your unit and how you guys are playing together. So that’s not to take away from Brock. Brock’s been awesome for five years, but I would think he’d say the same thing. It’s a reflection of the guys around him and how everyone’s playing together.”

With Brock what jumps out when you watch the film from Sunday against the Seahawks?

“It wasn’t perfect and it was pretty ugly at times. But the way he played in the fourth quarter when it mattered most, I think he threw a pick, late in the third quarter. And then it almost felt like from then on out, Brock wasn’t going to be denied. He made really aggressive throws. He made plays with his legs. He avoided some sacks. He was a competitor out there and he made plays. He’s done that throughout his career. It kind of reminded me of the Philly playoff game last year where there were some ups and downs. But man, in the fourth quarter when he needed to just step it up, he did. And he put the team on his back and with some help from other guys, obviously. But that’s what stood out to me the most.”

What happened on the pick? It looked like one cornerback was covering one guy and sort of came off that. Is that something that the quarterback should recognize or that the receiver should recognize that?

“Yeah, it’s a tough look for that play we called. Definitely a tough coverage and the corner made a heck of a play. I think Brock would sit here and tell you the same thing. He’s got to recognize that a little bit better and probably move on in the progression. It’s also something we worked on and the type of throw you were going to need to make maybe versus that look. But maybe Brock held on to the ball a little too long, maybe should have progressed down to his two and three option on the play. But it is a tough look for that play and the guy made a heck of a play.”

How’s WR Christian Kirk looked so far? How do you see him fitting in your offense?

“Yeah, it’s good to see him out there these couple of days. We haven’t really got to see him much kind of going back to OTAs and he didn’t do much in training camp. So it’s good to have him out there. He’s a vet. I’m impressed with how much he’s on it and how sharp he is with the knowledge of our offense. You can tell he’s been staying in it even though he hasn’t been on the field. He looks good. He looks fresh. So we’re excited to get him through this week of practice, get him through one more day. He’s like that whole group. We need guys to step up and contribute and be ready. And so I’m excited to see what he does.”

What’s been the chemistry between WR Brandin Cooks and Brock just over the last three weeks or so since he’s been here?

“Yeah, it’s been a pretty cool development. Obviously Brandin made some huge plays for us in the game. He had the touchdown catch. He actually had another one the play before that got called back, but it’s been cool. Brandin’s been getting a lot of reps in practice, when [WR] Mike [Evans] doesn’t go on some days, early in the week. Brandin’s been getting a lot of those reps and working on his timing with Brock and just continuing to learn our offense and the route tree. I think Brandin’s getting more confident in everything we do. And so just happy with his growth, happy with where he’s at mentally, just contributing to our team in any way he can. He’s the ultimate pro. It was cool to see him have some success on Sunday and hopefully continue that moving forward.”

When you watch Washington Commanders LB Sonny Styles, he had 13 tackles last week. He’s very fast. He jumps and everything. How do they utilize him? Does he stand out to you?

“Big time. He’s already a heck of a player. The athleticism is what jumps out. The length for his size, his speed, his athleticism playing that inside linebacker role. He can kind of do it all. He can rush, he can blitz, he can cover. He’s long. He’s going to get his hands on balls. So the guy’s a heck of a player. He’s going to be a bright player. Reminds me a little bit of [LB] Fred [Warner] in that way, just the athleticism, the range. He’s a good player and they got two really good linebackers with [Washington Commanders LB Frankie] Luvu in there too. So definitely got our work cut out for us keeping our eye on those guys this week.”