Last season was rough on the San Francisco 49ers and their offense. Red zone issues and injuries were at the forefront with the 49ers quarterback admitting in a recent press conference that he was “doing too much” in 2024. While there is no single reason for the offense not punctuating drives with touchdowns, the good news is the offense was able to move the football up and down the field, albeit without as much ease as the 2023 season, but the offense didn’t struggle to move the ball within the 20s.
After signing a lucrative extension, Purdy is still a quarterback on the rise. 2023 was a magical year for the signal caller, but there is still room for improvement from the franchise quarterback. Brandon Aiyuk won’t return until sometime after Week 5 and was missing as the team’s best separator for much of 2024. However, Ricky Pearsall broke out at the end of 2024 and is the best natural separator heading into Week 1. Jauan Jennings has resolved his contract issues and is on track to play in Seattle, while Christian McCaffrey has looked as healthy as possible since 2023. George Kittle is pretty good, also.
So, what exactly can Purdy improve on in 2025?
The easy answer is the commitment to the run game, which unlocks the play-action game. McCaffrey improves the rushing attack whenever he is on the field. Taking what the defense is giving him instead of forcing a play is another way. Giving Purdy the protection and time to diagnose certainly helps, and the 49ers receivers creating separation and sitting routes down in soft spots against zone coverages is the final piece. However, taking a deeper look into the defenses with which Purdy had success and struggled could be the key to a big season for the former Iowa State quarterback.
2024 – 455 passing attempts (career-high in one less game than 2023) & 3.1% turnover-worthy throw rate (19th in the NFL).
Cover 0 (Man to Man with no deep safety) – 3.4% TWP
All five secondary members have to man up a pass catcher or blitz the quarterback. Its primary function is to speed up the quarterback and take away quick throws. Longer routes can’t develop due to pressure, but the weakness of Cover 0 is its risky nature; if a receiver can find some space, the coverage scheme can be beaten.
This defense caused the fourth-highest turnover-worthy throw rate at 3.4%. Protection, pre-and post-snap recognition, receiver separation, and knowing where to go with the ball all contribute to being successful against the all-out blitz and limited time. Bottom line, teams weren’t afraid to send the house given the state of the 2024 receiver room.
Cover 1 (Man to Man with single high safety) – 5.3% TWP
This defense has multiple variations. Cover 1 “Robber” begins showing two high safeties with a shift from the strong safety underneath the free safety to take away middle of the field throws and crossers. Windows close faster, and blitzes are disguised very well from this set.
Cover 1 can also be used to bracket a dominant receiver with the single high safety. Ultimately, Cover 1 forces tighter windows to throw into and helps prevent blown coverages. Again, teams dared the 49ers to throw the ball at them in man coverage in 2024. Purdy’s TWP rate was the second-highest against Cover 1 man.
Cover 2 Man (Man to Man with two high safeties) – 8.3% TWP
Starting to get the picture? This is by far Purdy’s highest TWP rate. Without pure separators, teams went man-to-man on Jennings and company in 2024. Corners can employ the “trail” technique, knowing they have help over the top, but precise throws are required to succeed against this defense.
Motion and crossing routes are a good way to attack this defense, but these have to be the situations where the 49ers win from the pocket, given the lack of flexibility and blitz disguises from this coverage scheme. Teams noticed the way the 49ers struggled at times in 2023 against man defenses (Baltimore on Christmas Day & the Super Bowl, sorry) and used the blueprints of those matchups during 2024.
Purdy against Zone Coverages
In case you’re wondering, Purdy had a TWP rate of 3.5% (third highest in 2024) against Cover 2 (Zone with two high safeties & five underneath defenders), a 2.4% rate against Cover 3 (Zone with three secondary members over the top & four underneath), and a 1.4% rate against Cover 4 (four secondary members over the top & three underneath).
Purdy was perfect against Cover 6 (Cover 4 to one side & Cover 2 to the other) with a 0.0% TWP rate. Carving up laid-back zone looks wasn’t an issue for Purdy in 2024.
You can bet teams will test the 49ers receivers and Purdy in 2025 with many man coverage looks. Playing in structure, taking what the defense gives you, separating at the receiver position, taking calculated risks, and hitting the opportunities given by each defense will ultimately all need improvement in 2025.
All data provided by Fantasy Points Data & Football Insights.
