SANTA CLARA, Calif. — No person needed to say that Brock Purdy was due for an evening like this, however actually, he most likely was. No person within the 49ers group needed to observe him throw 4 interceptions towards the Ravens. No person in pink and gold needed Purdy to go from MVP frontrunner to the primary cause they acquired crushed on nationwide TV.
No person in a 49ers uniform needed Purdy to hit this bump within the highway at full pace and full-tilt splatter.
However sure, all people knew one thing like this was destined to occur in some unspecified time in the future, and higher now than within the playoffs. Subconsciously or not, the 49ers had been braced for it. Purdy’s storybook season had been occurring and on, nevertheless it couldn’t and wouldn’t go on completely without end. No person can keep away from a clunker. No person is above this. The 49ers understood it. And within the minutes and hours after the 49ers’ 33-19 loss at Levi’s Stadium on Monday evening, it was fairly clear that Purdy completely understood this, too.
He talked quietly with teammates within the locker room. He walked to the bathe room. He acquired dressed. He nodded at individuals he knew. He walked to the rostrum. All the identical as he’d finished after his greatest video games. No sigh, chew or glower. Simply the identical. Besides, after all, on this present day, Purdy had simply come off the worst recreation of his NFL profession, by far, and needed to attempt to clarify the efficiency. And most significantly: What occurs now?
“For me, it’s like I’ve gotta ask myself, ‘All proper, who’re you, what do you stand for? Who’re you when issues are good? Who’re you when issues don’t go your manner?’” Purdy mentioned when requested what was going by his thoughts because the interceptions piled up. “It’s straightforward to be driving excessive and pondering you’re the person when issues are going nicely, profitable video games and all that sort of stuff. And also you don’t actually see a complete lot of adversity in some video games and whatnot. And that is the truth of the NFL. …
“I’ve to look myself within the mirror, watch the performs, get higher, make some cleaner selections, assist my workforce put up factors and rating and defend the ball. And when issues don’t go my manner, it’s understanding I can’t be appearing out. I’ve to be actual with myself and be higher. However I wish to be the identical man day by day, be constant in what I do, how I do issues, whether or not issues are going nicely or not. I do know who I’m, and I’m not going to waver in that. I’ve mentioned that earlier than, I’ll proceed to hold my hat on that.”
Is that the correct reply? There’s no assure that Purdy will instantly bounce again from this outing, particularly after having to exit a recreation within the fourth quarter on Monday after affected by a shoulder stinger for the second consecutive week. There’s no assure of something for an NFL quarterback, going up towards defenses which can be crammed with quick and enormous individuals.
Perhaps Purdy’s MVP candidacy is toast now, which, I’d guess, most likely doesn’t hassle him a lot in any respect. The dialog, fairly frankly, was all the time overbaked. You wish to win video games and championships, and the awards come from that. It’s not the opposite manner round, and all people on the 49ers appreciates that Purdy totally embraces that ethos.
His solutions on Monday evening, after the demolition, had been merely extensions of that mindset.
Brock Purdy’s worst video games by QB score
| Date | Opponent | Week | COMP-ATT | YDS | TD | INT | Ranking | Consequence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
12-25-2023 |
vs. Ravens |
16 |
18-32 |
255 |
0 |
4 |
42.6 |
L, 33-19 |
|
10-15-2023 |
at Browns |
6 |
12-27 |
125 |
1 |
1 |
55.3 |
L, 19-17 |
|
10-23-2023 |
at Vikings |
7 |
21-30 |
272 |
1 |
2 |
81.5 |
L, 22-17 |
|
11-23-2023 |
at Seahawks |
12 |
21-30 |
209 |
1 |
1 |
86.7 |
W, 31-13 |
|
1-22-2023 |
vs. Cowboys |
DIV |
19-29 |
214 |
0 |
0 |
87.4 |
W, 19-12 |
And you’ll guess that his teammates needed to listen to and see precisely this from Purdy, as a result of it’s the identical factor they’ve heard and seen from him earlier than he was anyone, whereas he was enjoying brilliantly and, lastly, throughout and after this recreation on Monday. They didn’t wish to see the dangerous learn that led to an interception after a great drive on the 49ers’ opening collection. They didn’t wish to see the poor selections and hurried throws that had been tipped up for 3 different picks. They didn’t wish to lose this recreation, which implies they should win their remaining two regular-season video games to make sure profitable the No. 1 seed within the NFC playoffs.
They didn’t wish to see any of this, however the 49ers’ leaders additionally didn’t wish to see Purdy look demoralized by this or appear diminished. Didn’t need that in any respect. And I don’t know if each single one of many 49ers’ leaders checked in with Purdy throughout or after the onslaught, however the element of their solutions once I requested them about Purdy form of indicated that they’d.
That they’ve seen all the pieces they should see from their QB. And that this evening was the exception that proves how a lot they nonetheless consider in him.
“I believe it’s unbelievable how he’s performed for the previous two years,” Nick Bosa mentioned of Purdy. “Simply being a younger man, rookie final yr, and it looks like he’s immortal on the market. However no one’s immortal. He’s responded from not his greatest performances earlier than, and I believe he’ll try this once more.”
Mentioned Brandon Aiyuk: “I believe he’ll be good. That is his first time actually getting the opposite aspect of it. So I’m excited to see how he’ll bounce again. He’ll be good.”
How did this occur to anyone who’d solely thrown seven interceptions within the first 14 video games of the season? Purdy was positively not at his greatest. But in addition, the Ravens are the No. 1 protection within the league and performed prefer it on Monday. A number of of their gamers additionally prompt to The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen that they knew they’d maintain the 49ers’ offense off-balance in the event that they slowed down their working recreation and in addition discovered that Purdy needed to throw to sure spots on sure routes. So that they made certain that they acquired to these spots.
Ideas on what they keyed on with Purdy, who’s a spot thrower or anticipation thrower (Tua could be put on this class as nicely) pic.twitter.com/keJyUSUQen
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) December 26, 2023
Is that the kryptonite for the 49ers’ offense with Purdy? Perhaps if you happen to’ve acquired the Ravens’ personnel, which nearly no one has. And perhaps if Purdy is having a very terrible day, which is completely out of character for about 90 p.c of his NFL profession so far. His solely different dangerous efficiency because the 49ers’ starter got here within the Oct. 15 loss in Cleveland, and that got here with the caveat that Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams and Christian McCaffrey had been all injured in that recreation, and even then Purdy solely threw one interception.
So Monday’s stats, 18 for 32 for 255 yards, the 4 interceptions and 0 touchdowns, for a 42.6 passer score, had been simply Purdy’s worst. The entire recreation was his worst. By far.
“I simply suppose the truth that he’s performed this lengthy and by no means had a recreation like that is fairly uncommon,” Kyle Shanahan mentioned. “That’s the truth of the NFL. I’m not saying it was sure to occur — want we didn’t have as many picks at present. However … I believe one among them was one he’d actually wish to have again, the opposite three had been, I believe, unlucky.”
On the primary one, Purdy tried to hit Samuel coming throughout the center in the long run zone however didn’t see security Kyle Hamilton sliding in from the opposite aspect. The 49ers had moved proper down the sphere after holding the Ravens to a game-opening three-and-out. It was first-and-10 on the Ravens’ 15-yard line. It was set as much as put the 49ers’ stamp on this recreation immediately.
After which …
“That begins it off,” Purdy mentioned. “Clearly, we had been rolling, we had the momentum. We had some actually huge performs in that drive. After which I throw the ball like that to finish the momentum that we had.”
Purdy mentioned the commonality is that he was attempting to make an excessive amount of occur. That he ought to take the better throws. That, if want be, he needs to be snug with a throw-away and punt reasonably than danger a turnover.
That’s precisely what occurred on his third interception, in the course of the second quarter, when he was flushed out of the pocket on third-and-5, noticed flags fly and nonetheless pressured a cross throughout his physique supposed for George Kittle that was tipped away by Marlon Humphrey and picked off by Hamilton, once more.
“I noticed some flags thrown as I used to be scrambling and stuff,” Purdy mentioned. “Not precisely what or who it was on, so my thoughts was, ‘Attempt to make a play.’ Actually, I can’t make a foul play worse. I’ve to know that that’s on us, by way of the flag, simply by some physique language of our O-line and issues like that. I did see that. So for me to throw throughout my physique again in the course of the sphere with a man on George, it’s very dumb of me.”
Sure, Purdy is hard on himself. Sure, it was merited on Monday. Sure, he nonetheless made some performs, however they had been all wiped away by his errors. Sure, Purdy will grit his tooth and go over each millisecond of the tape. Sure, he’ll be higher. Sure, he might need some nightmares about this recreation. And sure, it’s the surest signal that this was an aberration of a fluke of an oddity of an evening that was overdue and now finished.
(Picture of Brock Purdy scrambling throughout Monday’s recreation towards the Ravens: Loren Elliott / Getty Pictures)