There weren’t many boxes left to check for 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, but he cleared a couple more hurdles Sunday in his team’s come-from-behind win over the Raiders on the road.
Buy 49ers TicketsOne of the lingering questions about Purdy was how he’d handle a deficit. He’d trailed only once during his stint as the 49ers’ No. 1 quarterback, and it was when San Francisco was down 7-3 to the Dolphins when he entered in Week 13. Sunday in Las Vegas was a different story.
The 49ers’ vaunted defense struggled all afternoon, and San Francisco 24-14 in the third quarter. Purdy trailed by multiple scores for the first time in his career, on the road, and wasn’t shaken.
His on-field play was evidence enough that the adversity didn’t get to him, but his teammates felt the calm he brought to a what turned into a chaotic game script.
“He handled it great,” wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk said. “He did a great job. He’s a super calm dude. The moment’s never too big for him. I think we’re not just going out there and trying to put a plan together to where everybody picks up and we kind of hide what he’s got going on, or he’s not ready. He’s out there leading two-minute drives. He’s out there signaling out wide, changing play calls while we’re going to two-minute, so today just really showed us that – I think this dude is on a different level. He can play for sure.”
Purdy finished the second half 15-of-25 for 246 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Aiyuk was a favorite target of his down the stretch, hauling in six balls for 81 yards in the final frame. He finished the contest with nine receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown. It was his first game with over 100 receiving yards this year.
Another player Purdy leaned heavily on was running back Christian McCaffrey, who supplemented his 121 rushing yards and a rushing TD with six catches for 72 yards. The veteran RB also had high praise for how Purdy handled adversity.
“He was great,” McCaffrey said in his post-game press conference. “Not only was he poised, but he took the throne too, and made a couple calls in the huddle. Just was very definitive in the way he ran things. Everything was really smooth, and there was a couple things here and there – not with him, with our team – but once again, it was just a good time to have a game like that. Especially for him to be able to go out there, stay poised and do what he did, and for Aiyuk to carry us on that last drive, it was just fun to be a part of.”
How Purdy handles pressure could ultimately be what makes or breaks the 49ers’ Super Bowl hopes. He’ll still have to pass the postseason test, since there is added pressure of a one-and-done scenario, but that’s a bridge San Francisco can’t cross until at least wild card weekend.
For now, Purdy continues delivering and the team’s confidence in him regardless of the situation continues growing. It wasn’t a perfect game for San Francisco on Sunday, but their QB didn’t break and he helped guide them to a win. Another box checked for Mr. Irrelevant.
