Say it with me: Brock Purdy is not an average quarterback. He’s not perfect, but he’s not average either.
And Brock Purdy has nothing to apologize for in the San Francisco 49ers’ 17-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Not for throwing two interceptions into a web of coverages, not for a dumb intentional grounding play, and certainly not for his sub-100 passer rating on the day.
When his back was against the wall and nothing went well all day for him or the 49ers, Purdy marched down the field and hit
a tight end who had only caught three passes for his career. Is it luck? Yes. But Russell Wilson, Eli Manning, and several others made a career of plays just like what Purdy did. He put the team on his back and won the game. Well, Nick Bosa won the game with his strip sack, but none of this would have been possible with Purdy.
Furthermore, the 49ers’ final offensive series of the game displayed Brock Purdy doing things people said he couldn’t do:
Brock Purdy is a product of his weapons and can’t win without them? He has now. And he did it against one of the better defenses in the league.
Brock Purdy can’t win when he throws two or more interceptions (0-6 record)? He has now.
Brock Purdy can’t put the team on his back and win when there’s little room for error? He has now.
Brock Purdy is just a game manager, and is a really good game manager? When Purdy was “managing” the game, he threw two picks. When he went into gunslinger mode, he got a touchdown. Say what you want about the arm strength, decision-making, whatever. The fact of the matter is, we’ve seen the pedigree of quarterbacks play games like Purdy did for over three quarters, and then rally and win. The result is talk of legends and legacies. Look at the aftermath of the 49ers’ 2018 loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers — and that was a BAD 49ers team that year.
Purdy finds a tight end we’ll later learn is Jake Tonges, and the 49ers are up by four points with a minute and a half to go.
“It was a fast break,” Purdy said, recalling the play. “So you walk up and snap the ball quick. It was a straight, across-the-board read. Just felt like the coverage was tight. At that point, I needed to leave the pocket and find a guy in the endzone. As I’m going away, I’m trying to put it hopefully where Tonges can get it, or nobody can get it. I know it was a close call, but he used his length and came down with it, and here we are.”
Speaking of Tonges, he didn’t have a reception until Sunday’s win. Don’t worry, Purdy didn’t know that either.
Of course, people want to say it’s “just” luck. Yeah, no.
And the funniest thing of all is that Purdy has done it all before. He’s taken a team down the field to finish; 2023’s Cleveland Browns game, the Super Bowl, and 2024’s game against the Seahawks in Levi’s Stadium are some that come to mind, only to be let down by things out of his control. Had Nick Bosa not strip-sacked Sam Darnold today, the narrative might have continued.
Purdy is much better than many give him credit for, and to argue otherwise is just ignorant at this point. He threw two picks against a defense that was fired up. That’s plenty of reason to turtle it and call it a day.
But Purdy got paid for a reason.
He didn’t get all that money for his performance in three quarters; he got it for how he finishes games in this situation and how he runs Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Because it was Shanahan who called the 45-yard pass Purdy air-mailed to Ricky Pearsall that set up the Jake Tonges madness.
“In certain situations, Kyle [Shanahan] knows when to take a shot and everything,” Pearsall said when asked about the Pearsall reception. “And has a good idea of what defenses do. That was a great play call by Kyle, and then Ricky executed it great. Double move on Tarique (Woolen) and for us to be able to come down with it, the O-line holding the protection and giving us the time to throw a play down the field, it’s not easy.”
And here’s another important talking point: The Seahawks have a good defense (at least that’s what they tell us), while the 49ers. Are. Not. Healthy! Even before the losses of George Kittle and Jauan Jennings, Purdy was missing Brandon Aiyuk. Can you think of what things will look like when he gets all of those toys back?
Now that’s not to say what Purdy did today is going to work every week and win a Lombardi trophy. On the contrary, if Purdy can’t get his weapons back, even this easy schedule is going to be a bit bumpy with another dial-a-receiver carousel the 49ers have.
Regardless, Brock Purdy may be maddening in some games, and his arm strength may be something some question. Purdy’s superpower is between his ears. He can throw two picks, boneheaded throws, and then march down the field with ice in his veins to maintain his undefeated streak at Lumen Field.
Seattle’s decision to kick a field goal instead of going for a touchdown in the series prior also helps.
