Evaluating 49ers QB Brock Purdy’s performance against the Cowboys

The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs for the second consecutive year, this time by a score of 19-12 to advance to the NFC Championship Game, where they'll face off against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.

The 49ers faced their share of offensive struggles, but ultimately gained enough momentum in the second half to take the lead after an early Dallas field goal, which they never gave up.

Brock Purdy faced the toughest pass rush of his short NFL career, and the Cowboys brought the heat, pressuring the rookie quarterback on 48.5% of his dropbacks, which is a career-high.

However, Purdy did see his fair share of struggles and did contribute to the high pressure rate by bailing early on the pocket, which has become a recurring theme.

In the first half, Purdy missed several big-play opportunities that head coach Kyle Shanahan had dialed up.

1. Purdy threw a deep pass late and behind wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk that resulted in a near interception while it could've been a touchdown.

2. Purdy bailed on a pocket early as it collapsed, missing an open George Kittle for a touchdown, essentially killing the play, with the drive resulting in a field goal. Purdy's first read, Christian McCaffrey, was open on the choice route, while Kittle was open on the same route that the duo connected for against the Arizona Cardinals.

3. Purdy missed Deebo Samuel wide open on a deep crosser, hesitating to throw, and then bailing left on a clean pocket.

4. Purdy missed an open Samuel on a 3rd & 2 to extend the drive, hesitating to throw initially the short pass over the middle of the field and then missing the throw wide after bailing to his left.

5. Purdy missed Samuel on a crosser, once again hesitating before trying to hit Brandon Aiyuk on a pass that was deflected by Micah Parsons.

However, there were also some nice reads from Purdy, with the best one coming on a deep crosser to Jauan Jennings during San Francisco's two-minute drill to place the 49ers in field goal range.

While there were certainly plays where the pressure affected Purdy's progressions, the rookie quarterback also contributed to the pressure rate by extending plays and not hitting the open reads when they were presented to him.

In the second half, after missing an open George Kittle over the middle of the field on San Francisco's first offensive drive, Purdy started to settle in, delivering a nice pass to his tight end on an improvised play where the rookie didn't give up and Kittle streaked up over the middle of the field, making an impressive catch after initially bobbling the throw.

While Purdy missed Kittle over the middle of the field on the following play, instead checking the ball down, and had a pass deflected for a near-interception, the rookie quarterback benefitted from the run game, which resulted in San Francisco's lone touchdown of the game.

On the ensuing drive, Purdy made two nice throws: one to Kittle and one to McCaffrey, with both converting first downs, as the drive ultimately ended in San Francisco's final score of the game.

While it was far from a perfect performance by Purdy, the rookie quarterback remained unfazed and played through the end of the game with poise, creating the necessary plays when the 49ers needed the spark.

But, there are certain areas where Purdy must improve if the 49ers are to see success against a Philadelphia Eagles team that has been dominant on both sides of the ball this season.

• Rohan Chakravarthi
• Written by:
  Rohan Chakravarthi
  Writer/Reporter for 49ers Webzone
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