Brock Purdy is always praised for his calm, poised demeanor on the football field, but when the 49ers quarterback faced a new obstacle on Thursday night, his mentality was briefly tested.
The second-year pro threw the first pick-six of his NFL career in San Francisco’s 31-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thanksgiving, but said he couldn’t change his mindset even when facing a new form of adversity experienced.
“Obviously we’re up by three touchdowns and then we just give them one like that, so now it’s a two-score game,” Purdy told reporters at Lumen Field after the game. “So now it’s real. And the game is back in play, that’s how it felt considering they were back in the game. For myself, I had to be smart with the ball, but at the same time I also had to have that aggressive touch and not be afraid to rip things up in tight windows and move the ball and get first downs and score touchdowns.
“That’s where I got to with my mindset for the future. Obviously it sucked going through it – I had to learn from it. But as far as I’m concerned and as far as playing this position is concerned, nothing can change that. So that’s it.” I had to keep telling myself.
On the 49ers’ first possession of the second half, Purdy threw a pass to Christian McCaffrey, but the 49ers running back tipped the ball, which ended up in the hands of Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks. Brooks then rushed 12 yards into the end zone to pull Seattle within 24-10 with 11:23 left in the third quarter.
However, Purdy responded midway through the fourth quarter with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk – which the QB ripped into a tight window between four defenders – and put the Seahawks away for good.
San Francisco improved to 8-3 on the season and, with Purdy’s steady but resilient attitude, will hope things continue the rest of the way.
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