San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy will start tonight against the Seattle Seahawks. There was some concern that he might not be able to suit up. Purdy suffered oblique and rib injuries early on during Sunday's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 49ers listed their first-year quarterback as "questionable" to play in the crucial NFC West matchup.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Purdy would play against the Seahawks. A win would clinch the NFC West title for the 49ers, and unsure the Bay Area team would open the postseason at Levi's Stadium.
Purdy's story has been captivating. San Francisco selected him out of Iowa State with the last pick—No. 262 overall—in the draft, so not much was expected from the relatively unknown 22-year-old. Most expected Trey Lance and Nate Sudfeld to be the two quarterbacks on the active roster, with Purdy maybe landing a spot on the practice squad.
Purdy kept impressing the 49ers, though. They didn't want to risk losing him to another team. Even after deciding to bring back Jimmy Garoppolo, the team opted to hold onto Purdy, carrying three quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster, and letting Sudfeld walk.
"Every step of the way, he's kind of checked the box," general manager John Lynch told NBC Sports Bay Area. "It was practice, and then it was preseason games, and then it was regular-season practices, and then he goes in these games the last couple of weeks and really has handled himself well, and we're very fortunate to have him."
Purdy is playing because Garoppolo went down in Week 13 with what is likely a season-ending foot injury. Garoppolo was playing because Lance went down with a season-ending ankle injury during Week 2.
Purdy had shown enough—both in college and during his short time with the 49ers—to give the team confidence that they could push forward with the seventh-round pick. Before deciding to bring back Garoppolo, were Lynch and Shanahan comfortable with Purdy serving as Lance's backup?
"Ultimately, we were," Lynch responded. "... He just kind of kept growing on you. The nice thing with him, there was a lot of film to study at Iowa State, so it wasn't like we had a brief amount of film. He started over 45 games at Iowa State, so you got to see a lot about what made him. He changed the culture, made it really a winning program. I think you can see, when he's left, they're struggling. The guy, he's got a way of making an impact, and he certainly has here."
The 49ers are down to QB3 and are still winning football games. They have won six consecutive games and are a favorite to do some damage in the postseason. That's because the team boasts the league's best defense, explosive playmakers on offense, and Purdy has played like a veteran signal-caller in these last two games.
"I think that he's a very quick processor," Lynch told Matt Maiocco. "He can handle a ton of information. [He has] the work ethic to make sure that he's buttoned up, and he's going to have the answers. He knew where to go with the ball. But then, you start to watch him, he's got some guile that comes with [more experience], manipulating linebackers to open up windows, and he started doing that right away.
"I think the thing that first impressed me, with [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan], within this league, No. 3 quarterbacks—that's what he was at the time—they don't get a lot of reps. But he really made those reps count. And so it's pretty bold to go in there, try to move [LB] Fred Warner with your eyes or body.
"A lot of [less-experienced players] are going to really play it safe, and he would take those chances. And so I think it showed another quality. He wasn't afraid to take some risks, but they were very calculated, and he made all of his reps really count, and made an impression on everyone."
Regarding the young quarterback's work ethic, Lynch was impressed with how much time Purdy put in at the facility, working with the assistant coaches after practices to go through the play scripts. He had to put in the extra work because he viewed each week as if he were preparing to start. However, he wasn't receiving the practice reps of a starter until last week.
"Did we know it would go as well as it has? Absolutely not," Lynch admitted. "I will say Kyle was incredibly calm about the prospect of Brock playing, and that gave me confidence. I said, 'If the guy who's with him all the time feels this good about it, I'm going to feel good.' And Brock, every step of the way, has earned that."