Brock Purdy leaves Kyle Shanahan in disbelief with game-sealing touchdown
It's become extremely apparent by this point that Brock Purdy is not afraid to take chances. There were two that stood out in the San Francisco 49ers' blowout Thanksgiving win over the Seattle Seahawks, and they had wildly different results. The first was a disaster, Purdy checking into a pass after the Seahawks' punt team […]
It's become extremely apparent by this point that Brock Purdy is not afraid to take chances. There were two that stood out in the San Francisco 49ers' blowout Thanksgiving win over the Seattle Seahawks, and they had wildly different results.
The first was a disaster, Purdy checking into a pass after the Seahawks' punt team had pinned the 49ers at their own one-yard line and seeing his throw intended for Christian McCaffrey tipped into the waiting arms of Jordyn Brooks, who returned it 12 yards to give Seattle life with a pick-six that cut the 49ers' lead to 24-10.
Purdy, however, is not the type to let a mistake fester and, with the chance to deliver the fourth-quarter dagger, he produced arguably his finest throw of a sparkling first full season as the starting quarterback that left Kyle Shanahan in utter disbelief.
"We're all holding our breath"
After faking to Elijah Mitchell and rolling to his left, Purdy flipped his hips and, with a free rusher coming off his right side, uncorked a 28-yard strike to Brandon Aiyuk between four Seahawks defenders, eschewing a checkdown to George Kittle that would have picked up the first down and potentially more to ensure there would be no dramatic Seattle fightback.
"I couldn't believe he was throwing it," Shanahan said in his post-game press conference.
"The zone coverages guys were so deep, which usually you can check it down right underneath them and get about twelve. But Brock thought he could drop it in over the guy and it was a clear view for all of us and it was just a hell of a throw. Like perfect touch.
"We're all holding our breath as soon as he lets it go because the guy was so deep. But Brock's got some touch and he was able to throw it over him. And we took the safety out of there with a route so he knew if he could get over him, there's no one else left. And he made the throw. And I wouldn't have known it until he threw it, but once he threw it, obviously was there."
Atoning in style
Shanahan took some of the blame for the earlier interception, saying of the pick: "They got us on a disguise. They were doing some weird disguises which got us in a check.
"I mean, it was it was a double call. I shouldn't have put that on him. Obviously, it wasn't the check that we wanted, but they got us with a disguise and ended up getting that tip. It was an unfortunate play, but doesn't faze him at all. He came right back and made a hell of a play that sealed it."
For Purdy, though, there was no thought of needing to atone for his mistake when he gunned the decisive touchdown to Aiyuk, a decision he made even after recognizing a wide-open checkdown.
"It's not like, all right, I messed up and I got to prove to myself or to my team that I can make a big play to get us back in. It's nothing like that," Purdy said.
"We had actually ran the ball really well that drive, and so for myself, it was, all right, be smart with the ball. Take what the defense gives me. So we sort of had like a rollout setup play, and I just went through my progression.
"I felt the safety came down on the right side just enough for BA to get behind him, and I ripped it. But obviously looking back on it, there's a guy underneath as a checkdown that was open, too. That would have been a big gain for us to eat the clock up and stuff."
Perhaps the best explanation came from the man on the receiving end of the throw.
Said Aiyuk: "That's what you call a dot."
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