Brock Purdy just came through one of the biggest challenges of his young 49ers career
During the first quarter of the 49ers' home opener with the Giants, it looked as if it would be a long night for quarterback Brock Purdy. San Francisco's offense was distinctly out of rhythm in the early going of the Week 3 clash, Purdy completing just five of his 10 passes in the first quarter […]
During the first quarter of the 49ers' home opener with the Giants, it looked as if it would be a long night for quarterback Brock Purdy.
San Francisco's offense was distinctly out of rhythm in the early going of the Week 3 clash, Purdy completing just five of his 10 passes in the first quarter as he was hurried by the blitz-heavy approach of Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.
However, with help from a pair of outstanding performances from Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel, Purdy gradually improved, and ended up recording his first 300-yard regular-season performance as the Niners prevailed 30-12 to move to 3-0.
And, in the view of Kyle Shanahan, it was a game in which Purdy eventually passed one of the most significant tests of a career still in its infancy.
Shanahan said of Purdy's display:
"He missed a couple today and guys made a couple of real good catches also. I thought it was just a huge challenge, one of the biggest ones Brock's been in. The short week to prepare for a scheme like that, just how much they do with, they had six guys on the line of scrimmage throughout the game, half the time they're coming, half the time they're not. There's not a comfortable play throughout the game from a play-call standpoint and from a quarterback just because there's a lot of plays that don't work versus that. You've got to constantly be looking at it and, sometimes they do sometimes they don't [blitz], which is a huge challenge for a quarterback and I thought he settled down as the game went and ended up playing good enough for us to win."
It is easy to forget, given the level of success he has enjoyed, that Purdy still has only eight regular-season starts under his belt.
Yet, for all the early jitters, his numbers against the blitz were those of a seasoned veteran.
Per NextGen Stats, the Giants blitzed Purdy on 33 of his 39 dropbacks. Averaging 2.34 seconds from snap to throw, Purdy went 20 of 31 for 247 yards and two touchdowns against the blitz.
A common axiom in the modern NFL is that it's a 'gash or be gashed' league. That is certainly a theory to which Martindale would subscribe, and he saw his defense gashed because Purdy was able to settle down, deliver the ball quickly under pressure and still generate explosive plays, with significant assistance from McCaffrey, Samuel and George Kittle and their ability to make things happen after the catch.
Purdy's first quarter could be construed as growing pains, and more will come for a quarterback who has enjoyed an uncommon amount of success this early in his career. However, the 49ers are uniquely built to handle those pains and, if Purdy keeps fighting through them as efficiently as he did on Thursday, his rapid ascent should continue at pace.
49ers emulate one of the NFL’s greatest ever offenses in Week 3 win over Giants
Good company to keep.
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