Green Bay Packers defensive end Devonte Wyatt doesn't sound too impressed with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. In fact, he believes he knows the secret to flustering the Niners' second-year signal-caller.
"When D-linemen just get pressure into him, he's always throwing off or it's behind them or it's overthrown or short," Wyatt said Wednesday via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
Wyatt added, "When you get pressure on him, it's a guarantee we'll get a turnover."
Devonte Wyatt on Brock Purdy: "When D-linemen just get pressure into him, he's always throwing off or it's behind them or it's overthrown or short ... when you get pressure on him, it's a guarantee we'll get a turnover."
Purdy led NFL this season in passer rating when pressured.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) January 17, 2024
While Schneidman notes that Purdy led the NFL this season in passer rating while under pressure, that isn't entirely correct. According to Pro Football Focus, the quarterback ranked fifth in that category with a passer rating of 90.2. Purdy has completed 55.8 percent of his passes for 1,278 yards, 11 touchdowns, and six interceptions while under pressure.
When the pocket is kept clean, Purdy's passer rating was an impressive and NFL-leading 125.4. The next closest player is Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions, who owns a 116.3 passer rating without pressure.
Perhaps Schneidman was thinking of Purdy's 103.5 passer rating while under pressure since Week 10, which does lead the NFL. The 49ers quarterback's 61.5 completion percentage during that span also leads the league.
Regardless of the statistics, Purdy remains unfazed when things don't go as planned. The quarterback probably won't use Wyatt's comments as bulletin board material. Still, it will be interesting to see how head coach Kyle Shanahan takes advantage of the situation if the Packers' roadmap to victory is to try to fluster Purdy.
The 49ers and Packers will kick off their Divisional Playoff clash at Levi's Stadium on Saturday.