San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw an interception while trying to connect with tight end George Kittle on a short pass. As he walked off the field, Purdy patted himself on the chest, acknowledging that he knew the throw was his mistake.

It was one of the few mistakes Purdy made.


For the most part, the 49ers quarterback looked like the best passer on the field at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, outplaying Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, the reigning NFL MVP.

Purdy finished the game 25-of-34 for 205 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, earning a 105.6 passer rating. Stafford, meanwhile, completed 15 of 25 attempts for 155 yards, zero touchdowns, and an interception.

San Francisco won in commanding fashion, beating the Rams 27-7 to start the 2026 campaign with a 1-0 record.

Purdy looked like a player determined to prove he has yet to reach his ceiling and that his critics have underestimated his impact in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense.

"I thought Brock played so well," Shanahan said after the game. "He had one play I know he wants to take back, the interception to [Rams S Quentin] Lake, but he made some big-time plays, some big-time throws."


Several of those impressive plays came during the 49ers' 99-yard drive, which started in the third quarter, continued into the fourth, and was capped by a touchdown pass to wide receiver Deebo Samuel. The drive came immediately after a statement goal-line stand by the 49ers defense that kept the Rams out of the end zone.

"Obviously, shout out to our defense, getting that stop. That was huge," Purdy said. "I think that was a turning point in the game, just with momentum and everything. But first off, getting out of the backed-up situation was clutch for [TE] Luke Farrell to have that catch and getting us out of there.

"And then, after that, yeah, I think Kyle was doing a great job with dialing up the right play calls, and obviously not being aware of when we want to take a shot and go deep and stuff, but the [Rams] defense was giving us our ones and twos in the progression. So, just trying to take that.

"And then, obviously, when it wasn't there, I think that was the time in the game where I started using my legs a little bit. And then guys did a great job on the scramble drill, obviously hitting Deebo late."

Shanahan also praised Purdy's ability to buy time for the offense with his legs, something the quarterback has repeatedly identified as an area of improvement that he has worked on.


"The 99-yard drive, there were so many plays there that he had to take off-schedule, where there wasn't an answer, and he moved the chains with his legs," Shanahan said. "And I think he found Deebo on one—that was a big off-schedule for the touchdown. So Brock was unbelievable today."

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