The 2025 season has been an up-and-down one for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. After leading his team to a game-winning touchdown in Seattle in week one, Purdy began dealing with a turf toe injury that would cost him eight games. But San Francisco's top signal-caller has been back for the past three games and is looking to finish the season on a high note. And he's always looking to improve.
"I think there's been moments where I've got to in the past where, like I've said, drive the ball," Purdy told reporters this week. "Mechanically, I want to continue to strive for just my accuracy and stuff. I feel like there's been moments where I can be better with that. You know, as a whole, this whole year it's really just been about my toe and getting healthy and feeling like myself again.
"So, having a week to rest up and then coming back this week and having a couple of practices under my belt just feels good, and it feels fresh. But, more than anything, it's continuing to play with the chip on my shoulder and going back and watching the situational football moments that we were in and the games that I've been in so far. And I think for me it's in the end of the stretch here, four games, regular season, how can I be better? And I thought the last game in Cleveland was a pretty good test for me to take care of the ball, be smart with it, throw it away, and then stay on the field when we can. So, I don't know. That's what I watched, and that's what I saw."
Purdy had a rough outing against the Carolina Panthers, in which he threw three interceptions. The 49ers won the game, mostly due to the defense, but Purdy bounced back the next week in Cleveland and protected the football, leading his team to their ninth win. His numbers weren't overly impressive, but he was efficient enough for his team to win the game, especially considering the conditions of the game (bad weather, facing a tough Browns' defense).
Purdy knows he needs to be better. And so does his coach.
On Friday, Matt Maiocco, of NBC Sports Bay Area, sat down with Head Coach Kyle Shanahan. They discussed the upcoming game against the Tennessee Titans, but also discussed Purdy's play thus far, and what Shanahan hopes to see from Purdy the rest of the way. Maiocco specifically asked how the QB can stay in rhythm.
"He just needs to keep playing and being aggressive in everything he does," Shanahan said. "You know, keeping a rhythm, like a rhythm never stays, but it's when it goes, how quickly can you get it back? You can lose a rhythm for a whole game.
"You can lose it just for a series or two. You can lose it for a quarter. That's gonna happen based off of things you go through, but it's how quick you can retain it and get it going and not be affected by what's happening."
Notably, Shanahan said Purdy needs to keep playing. With the injury he suffered, it's been challenging for him to stay in rhythm. When you're in and out of the lineup or battling an injury that affects your play, it can be difficult to find that consistency. And Shanahan knows that Purdy will improve the more he plays.
"The more you play, the more aggressive you can get. Yeah, it gets easier to get into a rhythm, but also the more bad things happen, sometimes guys start to hesitate, and they get out of that. So my biggest thing with Brock, which I was so excited, you know, especially after the Carolina game, going to those Cleveland conditions and some of the plays that he did make in certain situations, you could tell there was no hesitation.
"It wasn't a big statistical game or anything like that, but he played very winning football, and this will be a different task this week, but he's just gotta attack it the same every week."
Shanahan wants Purdy to continue to be aggressive, but he also wants him to be smart with the football. It's a fine line to toe. How do you stay aggressive without putting your team in harm's way? The key may be found in Purdy's ability to remain on the field.
After this week, the 49ers have three difficult games remaining—at Indianapolis, and then hosting Chicago and Seattle. But it starts this Sunday against the Titans. San Francisco can't afford to drop a game everyone expects them to win.
Watch Maiocco's full interview with Shanahan here:
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