SANTA CLARA, California — Brock Purdy is no braggart.
But after Sunday’s 30-13 win over the New England Patriots, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback revealed that his 10-yard split out of college was faster than that of Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey.
“me think“He emphasized. “You guys will have to check my facts. I think I have enough speed to come out of the pocket and make plays and pick up five or seven yards here and there. I am in no way Lamar Jackson.”
A more accurate statement might be that his times were similar to those of his teammates. Purdy’s 1.55-second 10-yard split in 2022 was actually a fraction of a second slower than Samuel (1.48) and McCaffrey (1.52) when he entered the draft.
Still, everyone understands his point, especially his recent opponents.
For the second straight game, Purdy resorted to his legs as the passing game sputtered. He gained 7 yards on the first third down of the 49ers’ opening possession. He picked up another five and a first down on his second drive on a drive that extended 15 plays and ended with Jake Moody’s 22-yard field goal. There were also some great throws where Purdy looked like Fran Tarkenton in getting out of trouble, running to the sideline and completing an improbable pass before being hit. He finished 15 of 27 for 288 yards.
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The 49ers sacked Jacoby Brissett six times in a 30-13 win over the Patriots.
It was far from a perfect game for Purdy. San Francisco had a chance to put the Patriots away for good early in the fourth quarter when Purdy’s pass intended for Brandon Aiyuk in the end zone was instead intercepted by safety Jabrill Peppers. Kyle Shanahan later said he thought Purdy should have thrown the pass earlier, and Purdy said he didn’t see Peppers at first.
“This is something I have to continue to improve on and not be greedy about,” he said. “I think I contacted him two or three times, and that’s not good for a quarterback. You progress based on your disability, read the book on your feet, and get greedy for that part.”
After four games, the passing game isn’t as smooth and automatic as it was early last season when the 49ers got off to a 5-0 start. First, teams are focused on taking away Purdy’s bread-and-butter throws, including the middle and deep crossing routes to Aiyuk, who were so dependable last season.
For example, last week the Los Angeles Rams at times dropped eight players in coverage and rushed only three, resulting in a play where Purdy caught the ball for more than 12 seconds. Purdy noted on another play that they dropped nine and rushed only two.
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On Sunday, he said the Patriots’ safeties did a good job anticipating the 49ers’ favorite routes and taking them away. But as the game progressed, Purdy and the passing attack began to take advantage of these adjustments. He started going deep as the New England safety continued to advance and block the center. His three longest pitches:
• 53 yards ahead of Deebo Samuel Sr. in the third quarter. Samuel, who lined up as a tailback to start the game, had three catches for 58 yards after missing last week’s outing with a calf injury.
Deebo got us 55 yards down the field.
📺 #NEvsSF on fox
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4oaLh pic.twitter.com/u3vZTNGkcJ— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 29, 2024
• A 45-yard strike to Jauan Jennings early in the fourth quarter. Jennings led the team in receiving yards for the second straight week and had three catches for 88 yards.
JJ is somewhere down there
📺 #NEvsSF on fox
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4oaLh pic.twitter.com/aqUyQBiGov— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 29, 2024
• Purdy’s 38-yard pass to Aiyuk on his first pitch of the game. Aiyuk has put up decent receiving numbers with two catches for 48 yards in four straight games, but his second reception, a diving, fingertip catch on third down, was the kind of high-difficulty snag he didn’t make. Early season.
One of Purdy’s shorter throws, a 12-yard touchdown to George Kittle in the second quarter, also went a long way through the air.
That’s our TE. @gkittle46
📺 #NEvsSF on fox
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4nCVJ pic.twitter.com/2KnvF7QeFz— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 29, 2024
Kittle said the play required him to get an out and up and should have been run further out, near the 40-yard line. He thought that particular play was “a little aggressive” close to the goal line.
He later admitted, “I wasn’t confident in my play calling.” “That was something we originally sang from a very distant place. And when we called at the 12-yard line, we had to check back with Brock to make sure we called the right play. And I was like, ‘Okay, just throw it.’”
Purdy put the ball where Kittleman could catch it, and the 6-foot-4 tight end hauled in a pass between three Patriots defensive backs who were 6 feet or less.
That touchdown gave the 49ers a 20-0 lead and at least a two-point lead the rest of the game.
Still, it was a muddy win against a Patriots team that lacked offense and was plagued by injuries. The 49ers suffered several injuries of their own, including to defensive starters Fred Warner (ankle) and Jordan Elliott (knee), and suffered another costly special teams fumble. New England’s only touchdown.
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The 49ers also continued to struggle in the red zone. They had six trips inside the Patriots’ 25-yard line on Sunday, but only two came in the third quarter: Kittle’s touchdown and Jordan Mason’s 4-yard touchdown. Otherwise, they settled for three Moody field goals and threw one interception. Last season, they led the league in red zone efficiency, scoring 67% of their touchdowns.
“We need to clean it up, especially when we’re playing a very dominant team with a really good offense,” Kittle said. Kittle seemed to acknowledge that the Patriots were certainly a forgiving opponent before they got him. “I’m not saying the Patriots aren’t, but our defense played very well against them.”
(Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
