Brock Purdy overcame his injury Thursday to lead the San Francisco 49ers to a 21-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks and the NFC West NFL title.
Until a few hours before the start of the game, it was not even known whether Purdy could start.
Purdy had a questionable injury label, and coach Kyle Shanahan said in his post-game press conference that he wasn’t sure Purdy would make it through the whole game even if he originally took the field. But Purdy proved durable and sensational.
“He’s definitely the most balanced rookie I’ve ever had. He’s been like this since he got here,” Shanahan said. “He was ready all week even if he wasn’t sure if he could go or not. … And given the circumstances we had no choice, we wanted to see how long he could last and we were ready to go with that [backup] Josch [Johnson]. But he just felt comfortable, he got better as the game went on and it was pretty incredible.”
In the end, Purdy was able to see it through and get the start, barely showing the pain that afflicted him as he led his offense to a full four quarters of the game and victory.
“Definitely a different level, it was a different level for me to just watch someone do it,” Shanahan said. “So that he could just play, let alone play the way he was doing to protect the ball, he sometimes struggled to move a little bit, but…
“The team had a lot of respect for him before this game, but even more so now.”
Purdy finished the game 17-to-26 with a pass for 217 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. It was his third straight game with two passing TDs, making Purdy the first rookie quarterback to throw for more than two passing TDs in three straight games since Justin Herbert did so in 2020 and the only 49ers rookie to who accomplished the feat via NFL research.
Additionally, he joined Aaron Rodgers with Purdy’s final passer rating of 117.0 as the only quarterback since at least 1950 to have a passer rating over 115 in each of his first two starts, according to NFL Research.
While some may be surprised by Purdy’s sudden appearance, tight end George Kittle, after seeing how Purdy has prepared all season even before becoming the starter, said he wasn’t shocked by his performance.
“What Brock has done since he came in was he was confident in OTAs … and he threw the best defense in the NFL, he came in in the preseason games and he threaded balls,” Kittle said on Prime Video. afterplay show . “He’s had confidence since he walked into the building and everyone on this team felt that. And he was just waiting for an opportunity, and unfortunately with all the injuries at quarterback, he finally got his chance.”
While Purdy’s movement was limited by his injuries, he was still able to complete a crucial play late in the game with his legs. After the Seahawks made it to an eight-point game with 3:35 to go, the 49ers’ offense faced off with the third and the 1. Purdy took the snap and rolled to the right, sliding right past the marker while holding the ball for the first down. This switch kept the drive moving and the clock ticking, and eventually the game ended without Seattle having a chance to tie.
“(He’s) just a smart player,” defender Nick Bosa told Prime Video’s Kaylee Hartung. “It just shows how experienced he is for someone who isn’t very experienced. But I’m proud of him, I’m really happy for him and I look forward to continuing with him.”