Brock Purdy had a rough outing on Sunday during the preseason game against the New Orleans Saints. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback completed just two of his six pass attempts for 11 yards, was sacked once, and faced constant pressure.
Purdy was one of the few starters to play in the game. However, he was without his top receiving targets—Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, and Jauan Jennings all sat out. At the same time, Brandon Aiyuk watched from a box suite at Levi's Stadium with the injured players. Much of the 49ers' starting offensive line was also sidelined.
Purdy played three series, which some might argue was one too many, given the amount of pressure he faced. After the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked why he chose to keep Purdy in the contest despite the absence of so many key players.
"Just thought it'd be good for him to get a couple of drives in," Shanahan explained. "We were hoping it would be one long drive, just to get him out, similar to what [Brandon Allen] had last week, but we had, I think it was two three-and-outs, so I didn't want to go past that. I think it's good for quarterbacks to get in. Felt good with the guys that were in there, and we're pretty conservative with what we did with him. And I felt Brock kind of wanted to do it."
Purdy confirmed his eagerness to get on the field in an actual game situation.
"They asked me if I wanted to play, and I said, 'Yeah, I'd like to get out there and get a feel for it,'" Purdy told reporters.
How did he feel about his performance in the limited playing time?
"I think it was good just to get out there, get a feel for, obviously, the game speed, and getting hit, and trying to go through reads and stuff, and just get the feel again," Purdy shared. "So obviously, it wasn't as productive as I had liked to have been, myself, but that's why it's preseason—get out there and get a feel like that."
Shanahan also confirmed that Purdy will play again on Friday in the 49ers' preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders. The coach acknowledged that analyzing his starting quarterback's play against the Saints was challenging, given a couple of frustrating stalled drives. He added, "There weren't really any good looks for him, either."
Regarding the decision to play Purdy with most starters missing, Shanahan expressed confidence in the players on the field, saying, "We felt good with the group."
Shanahan considered pulling Purdy after a couple of big hits, including one where Purdy landed on his throwing shoulder, but ultimately believed the quarterback benefitted from the extra snaps.
"You think about that all the time, but it's also part of football, and I think he protects himself well," Shanahan said. "If we felt he was in a tough situation, we wouldn't have. But a lot of quarterbacks play throughout the league, and each week's different. I think it helps Brock to play, and last year, he didn't get to as much (in the preseason) with his arm, but I thought it was good for him to get out there, even though it wasn't two great drives."
Purdy acknowledged that practice has its limits and that playing in a game was important for him. While there's pressure in practice, defenders aren't allowed to hit him.
"Honestly, it's those [reasons why] I liked just the idea of playing in a preseason game, to feel again before the season gets here and everything," Purdy explained. "So, it's good reps for me. It's a good feel for me as a quarterback. So, I didn't mind it. It's part of the game."
As for Friday's game against the Raiders, Purdy shared his goals for the preseason finale.
"Obviously, you want to get as close as you can to the feeling of how it's going to be Week 1 against New York, and getting your feet out there, and that feeling of putting a drive together, moving the ball, first downs, points on the board," Purdy commented. "I think that's what I'm sort of going to chase for that game. And I know we all are, as starters.
"So, that's the goal. That's the goal every time we step out [on] the field. But Week 1's rolling up closer than we know it, so we're going to be ready for it."
