SANTA CLARA, Calif. — By the point San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy took the primary snap in his first NFL begin on Sunday, expectations had reached a fever pitch.
Taking part in quarterback for the Niners is among the hardest, most high-profile jobs in sports activities, and Purdy's strong outing in aid final week towards the Miami Dolphins solely generated extra pleasure that the ultimate decide within the 2022 NFL draft may step in and the Niners would not miss a beat. Not a lot modified for Purdy through the week, apart from the truth that he received all of the reps with the beginning offense.
So when Purdy got here to the road of scrimmage on the sport's opening drive, he surveyed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ protection, noticed one thing he did not like and yelled “Can, can, can” to vary the play from run to cross. A number of Niners shifted, however no one blocked security Keanu Neal, who ran in free for a sack.
“Unsuitable audible,” Niners coach Kyle Shanahan stated, smiling.
However as Purdy confirmed final week, when his fourth-down interception successfully served as a punt, even when he makes a mistake, it turns right into a internet optimistic. Officers flagged Neal for pointless roughness, and a 9-yard loss grew to become a 15-yard achieve.
“It was a tough hit,” Purdy stated. “I used to be within the incorrect play really, in order that was on me, however truthfully it felt good to kind of simply get hit and simply really feel like I used to be within the recreation, and I used to be like, OK. So it kind of turned out to be a very good factor.”
It was the primary of many good issues for Purdy and the Niners in Sunday's 35-7 throttling of the Bucs. Purdy put collectively a primary half for the ages, going 14-of-18 for 185 yards with two landing passes and a 2-yard speeding rating, which made him solely the second quarterback since 1950 to throw for 2 scores and run for one within the first half of his first NFL begin.
Purdy netted zero passing yards after halftime, however solely as a result of the sport was already out of hand by the point the second half started. And whereas the Niners have maintained that Purdy — who took over final week when Jimmy Garoppolo broke his left foot — can maintain the fort and lead them the place they wish to go, Purdy seemed like excess of a recreation supervisor within the opening half-hour Sunday.
In final week's win towards Miami, the Dolphins dialed up blitzes on 13 of Purdy's 40 dropbacks. He dealt with the stress nicely, however took three sacks and largely capitalized on check-down alternatives to common simply 4.6 yards per dropback.
That have appeared to repay Sunday, because the Bucs pressured Purdy. However as an alternative of checking it down for brief, simple features, Purdy made the Bucs pay for sending further rushers. On each of his landing passes, Purdy escaped from a rusher, created area to throw and hit a pass-catcher greater than 20 yards downfield. One went to wideout Brandon Aiyuk for a 32-yard landing and the opposite went to operating again Christian McCaffrey for a 27-yard rating.
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Brock Purdy connects with Brandon Aiyuk for a 32-yard landing to offer the 49ers a 28-0 lead over the Buccaneers late within the first half.
All informed, Purdy was 6-of-7 for 108 yards with two scores when underneath duress and 5-of-5 for 117 yards and two touchdowns when throwing 10 or extra yards downfield, and he didn't take a sack.
“We had a few them up to now few weeks the place he is shifting and making anyone miss,” Aiyuk stated. “You simply discover spots realizing he'll have the chance and provides you a chance to proceed to make performs on a scramble drill or on a damaged play. He could make guys miss on the sting and get exterior to maintain performs alive.”
Purdy stated that he does not essentially search for an enormous play when he is in a position to escape stress however has made it some extent to inform his pass-catchers to maintain shifting as a result of he has the power to make issues occur in these conditions.
“Simply at the back of my head it is make the man miss, what is the play nonetheless, the place are guys going to be, after which if I am on the run for good, it’s who's the primary man I can see open,” Purdy stated. “I positively talked to our guys like I can scramble and do various things off schedule, so all the time look alive form of factor.”
Purdy's potential to deal with that stress is not any shock to the Niners. As Sunday's opening half wore on, Levi's Stadium broke out into loud “Purd-y, Purd-y, Purd-y” chants. When his first begin was over, Purdy had a fast whats up with Bucs quarterback Tom Brady (a second Purdy referred to as “fairly cool”) and made his manner over to share within the second along with his household.
What a second. @brockpurdy13 and his household following his first profession win as a starter. pic.twitter.com/ztxXSFE84q
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 12, 2022
Throughout the recreation, video of Purdy's father, Shawn, getting emotional after his landing toss to McCaffrey started making the rounds.
Brock Purdy's dad was emotional after that final TD ?
?: #TBvsSF on FOX
?: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/Y8d9nuZcHK pic.twitter.com/PNqAqB8T5O— NFL (@NFL) December 11, 2022
“The feelings on their face and simply the way in which they appear down at me from up on the railing, it simply means loads as a result of simply all through my complete life, the ups and downs of enjoying quarterback on the whole, highschool and school, they're the folks at residence that simply imagine in you and so they all the time see one of the best in you,” Purdy stated.
On Sunday, everybody else received to see for themselves.
