placeholder image

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports


Despite historic playoff game, 49ers’ Brock Purdy focusing on accountability for mistakes

Rohan Chakravarthi
Jan 14, 2023 at 10:20 PM--


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had an impressive performance on Saturday, becoming the first rookie signal-caller in NFL history to account for four touchdowns in the postseason, amongst other accolades.

However, despite the historic performance, Purdy focused on taking accountability for his early mistakes following San Francisco's 41-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Purdy faced his share of struggles in the first half, completing just 9/19 passes, with the 49ers kicking three field goals in their four red zone trips.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan called several shot plays to begin the game, showing his confidence in Purdy, which initially came with mixed results as the rookie threw some errant passes.

Looking back at the first half, Purdy reminisced on a miss to Deebo Samuel running an intermediate crosser, acknowledging the weather conditions at the time.

"Honestly, the ball was a little wet. It was raining at the time and it just got away from me. But yeah, it wasn't anything in terms of the game. It was just the ball was wet, slipped. I was trying to rip it to Deebo and I was just mad that I couldn't get it to him."

Purdy grew from the mistake, as he completed the same pass early in the second half when the 49ers got rolling offensively.

But, the growth came even on back-to-back plays, as Purdy completed a pass to Brandon Aiyuk following his miss to Samuel, creating some momentum for the offense.

"Yeah, I mean, it's very important [to get into a rhythm]. Obviously had missed one right before that. So, to get the ball to B.A., have him make a play and just create some momentum, it was huge for us, huge for myself. As a quarterback you want to start the game off with some completions and just get into a rhythm, so it was huge for myself. It was huge for the team."

After the game, Purdy candidly spoke about the importance of execution, especially in the playoffs, when presented with favorable matchups.

"Yeah, it's just, there's a couple plays, man, where it's like you've got to be on point. Once you get those matchups and opportunities to capitalize on, you've got to do it, especially in the NFL, playoff football. And so, I put that on myself."

The rookie quarterback took accountability for not fully capitalizing on those opportunities, acknowledging that he should've let a few more passes go, allowing his receivers to make plays.

"There's some plays where I should've put the ball up, you know, give [TE] George [Kittle] a one-on-one shot and instead of taking a sack, some plays like that where I've got to be better."

Understanding that a change was needed offensively in regards to execution, Purdy and head coach Kyle Shanahan had a conversation about taking advantage of those opportunities, which ultimately resulted in a 25-point second half.

"Coming into halftime, you know, [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] just was straight up like, 'hey man, plays are there, the opportunities are there. We've just got to keep it simple and get it to the guys,'" Purdy said. "And so, we knew what our plan was coming out of halftime into the second half and I thought we just executed everything and we finished drives where we didn't do the stalling. We didn't overthink things in the second half."

Purdy's most impressive play of the game came on an off-schedule throw where he initially scrambled to his left, and then all the way across the field to his right before firing a dart to the back corner or the end zone, which Brandon Aiyuk couldn't haul in.

Despite the incredible throw, Purdy took accountability following the game, understanding that he should normally play smarter with the ball and take the points, but also shared his perspective on why he made the play.

"Obviously in that kind of situation, I've got to be smarter with getting the ball out if the first read isn't there instead of doing all that extra stuff," Purdy said. "But yeah, I felt like it was one of those situations where, man, if we can just put one more touchdown in, put the nail in the coffin. But at the same time, a field goal is just as good. So, something I've got to be smart with and just throw it away if it's not there."

Purdy finished his day with 348 total yards and four touchdowns while committing zero turnovers, which was arguably the most important aspect of his stat line.

Now, Purdy will face either the Minnesota Vikings or the winner of the Dallas Cowboys-Tampa Bay Buccaneers matchup in his second career playoff game next weekend at Levi's Stadium.
The opinions within this article are those of the writer and, while just as important, are not necessarily those of the site as a whole.



Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News


placeholder image

49ers' Brock Purdy delivers post-game speech to Iowa State women's basketball team

By David Bonilla
Mar 26

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and his new wife, Jenna, attended Sunday's college basketball game to support their alma mater, Iowa State, as they faced Stanford in the second round of the women's NCAA basketball tournament. "It means so much [to be here]," Purdy told the Associated Press. "As an alumni you're so proud to see the program do so well and going through this tournament and having the success that they've had. I've had their back. Blessed to be here to support them." However, Stanford's fans were the last ones cheering. The Cardinal beat the Cyclones in a thrilling game that featured 18 lead


placeholder image

49ers: Newlyweds Brock and Jenna Purdy share photos from honeymoon

By David Bonilla
Mar 21

Earlier this month, Brock Purdy tied the knot with his fiancée, now Jenna Purdy, in Des Moines, Iowa. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback's lovely wife recently shared photos from the couple's honeymoon in the Turks and Caicos Islands. "Honeymoon w/ my husband," Jenna captioned on Instagram as part of a series of photos shared this


placeholder image

Andy Reid praises 49ers' Brock Purdy, has advice for Kyle Shanahan

By David Bonilla
Mar 25

Super Bowl-winning head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs witnessed all he needed from Brock Purdy last season to assure him that the San Francisco 49ers are in capable hands at the quarterback position. Purdy was an MVP nominee in 2023 and had his 49ers just a play or two away from clinching a Super Bowl victory away from the Chiefs. Unfortunately, for Purdy and the 49ers, Reid and his own quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, widely regarded as the best in the game today, dashed their Super Bowl dreams in overtime last month. According to NBC Sports Bay Area, speaking at the NFL owners meetings on Monday, Reid stated, "Yeah, I


placeholder image

Kyle Shanahan: 49ers hope to keep Brandon Aiyuk, Brock Purdy together

By David Bonilla
Mar 26

Last week, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan ran into his wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk, while on vacation in Cabo San Lucas. "He was randomly at our hotel. I don't think he wanted to be," the coach shared on Tuesday while speaking to reporters at the NFL owners meetings. The 49ers are currently negotiating a long-term extension with Aiyuk to ensure he remains with the team for the foreseeable future. However, with it only being March, it's challenging to predict how everything will unfold. Typically, under the leadership of Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, the 49ers have reached agreements with their star players closer to training camp in July. Lynch stated yesterday that the


Latest

Trending News

Share 49ersWebzone