San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy stepped into his first postseason game with nerves evident in his first pass, missing open receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel and nearly throwing an interception.
“Honestly, the ball was a little wet, it was raining at the time and it just got away from me,” Purdy explained. “But it wasn’t anything in terms of, like, the game.”
Purdy admitted feeling the weight of Saturday’s wild-card matchup against NFC West rivals the Seattle Seahawks, which contributed to an uneven start in his passing game.
However, any first-half struggles were eclipsed by an impressive turnaround in the second half of San Francisco’s 41-23 victory over the Seahawks. Purdy finished the game with 18 completions on 30 attempts, amassing 332 yards passing with three touchdowns and an additional rushing score in his playoff debut.
In achieving these feats, Purdy made history:
– He became the lowest-drafted rookie quarterback to start and win a playoff game.
– At 23 years and 18 days old, Purdy became the youngest player in NFL history to throw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in a playoff game, surpassing Dan Marino. Interestingly, Purdy wears No. 13 in honor of Marino.
– He joined an elite group by becoming only the third player in NFL history to record over 300 yards and at least four total touchdowns in his playoff debut, alongside Matthew Stafford (2011) and Kurt Warner (1999).
– Purdy’s streak of seven consecutive games with multiple passing touchdowns ties Justin Herbert for the longest streak by a rookie in NFL history and matches Steve Young for the second-longest such streak in 49ers history.
– Moreover, Purdy became the first player drafted with the final pick of the NFL draft in the common era (since 1967) to score a postseason touchdown of any kind.
Brock Prudy (Photo: Getty Images)
Despite these accomplishments, Purdy’s teammates and coaches remained unsurprised by his consistent performance, regardless of the pressure-filled setting.
“You could feel his confidence when he came in the huddle, and that just felt like old Brock,” remarked tight end George Kittle. “He did exactly what he needed to do for us to win that game. I think he’s just going to continue to do that and play at a high level for us.”
Reflecting on the first half, where the Niners struggled to convert drives into touchdowns, head coach Kyle Shanahan delivered a straightforward halftime message.
“Plays were there, the opportunities are there; we’ve just got to keep it simple and get it to the guys,” Purdy recounted Shanahan’s halftime guidance. “We knew what our plan was in the second half, and I thought we just executed everything and we finished drives.”
Adjustments included reducing deep passes for Purdy. After averaging 11.7 air yards per attempt in the first half, this number dropped to 8.2 in the second, leading to Purdy’s efficient performance of 9-of-11 for 185 yards and two touchdowns.
When faced with pressure or closed passing lanes, Purdy used his mobility to extend plays, resulting in a game where he held the ball for an average of 3.63 seconds per pass attempt, the longest among all players with at least 25 attempts in a game this season.
“Brock Purdy did a really good job of staying alive,” observed Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. “I don’t know why we couldn’t sack the guy. We chased him all over the place. He’s not noted for being the greatest scrambler, but he looked like Fran Tarkenton out there today.”
The intensity of the game was heightened further when Seahawks safety Johnathan Abram appeared to twist Samuel’s ankle after a play. The incident fueled the 49ers, who responded by scoring 25 unanswered points in the second half to secure the win.
“I feel like that turned our team up a notch,” noted Samuel, who contributed 165 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. “And as you can see, we just went out there and made plays.”
In a moment of validation, Purdy received praise from NBA superstar LeBron James via Twitter after the game.
“It was awesome,” Purdy remarked about James’ tweet. More significantly, Purdy looks ahead to another playoff challenge next week in the NFC divisional round against either the Minnesota Vikings or the winner between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I love the fact that Brock is getting the attention that he deserves,” added 49ers left tackle Trent Williams. “He does everything that we need him to do and more. And I think we can continue to win with him.”
