Kurtenbach: Why perfect isn’t good enough for Brock Purdy
San Francisco 49ers: Brock Purdy has been elite since the Niners’ three-game losing streak. His performance against the Buccaneers might have been his best yet.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — An old Vince Lombardi quote perfectly describes 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s performance on Sunday:
“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence,” the former Packers coach is quoted as saying.
Purdy, on the other hand, was perfect in the Buccaneers’ 27-14 victory. He became the first 49ers quarterback in franchise history to have a perfect passer rating (158.3) in a game with more than 20 pass attempts.
“What an honor,” said Purdy.
“At the same time, there are some plays and things I wish I had back.” That does not completely satisfy me.”
Yes, if we’re being picky with the Niners quarterback, he did throw four incomplete passes against Tampa Bay.
Tisk, tisk, tisk.
While Purdy fell short of true perfection, the 49ers’ second-year quarterback was undeniably excellent on Sunday. Purdy completed 21 of 25 passes for 333 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
He made the quarterback position appear simple.
It’s difficult to imagine anyone beating San Francisco when that happens.
Purdy has been the No. 1 quarterback for the Niners since December, according to coach Kyle Shanahan.
He didn’t have a choice. Purdy was the team’s fourth quarterback option heading into training camp that season, but when injuries forced him to start, the 49ers were not in a position to simplify their offense for the sake of a young quarterback. After all, they were a team with serious Super Bowl aspirations.
Purdy bore the full weight of Shanahan’s extensive playbook.
Trust would be given first, then earned.
Purdy has earned it in spades after 17 regular-season starts in the NFL.
Shanahan’s faith in Purdy has been on full display over the last two weeks.
From the first snap of the game against an excellent run defense, the Niners attacked Tampa Bay through the air. In Week 11, the run-first Niners transformed into a fun-and-gun team.
Brandon Aiyuk to Purdy. (Five receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown.)
George Kittle to Purdy. (He had eight receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown.)
Deebo Samuel to Purdy. (A catch of 21 yards.)
On Sunday, the Niners’ pass game kicked into high gear.
“I thought he had a hell of a game,” Shanahan said of Purdy’s performance.
Aiyuk had the day’s highlight, a 76-yard touchdown catch-and-run out of the slot on a fly route. (It was a wise move by Shanahan to put him in the slot so frequently this week.)
While Aiyuk deserves credit for beating his man off the line of scrimmage and outrunning a safety in the open field, the parabola of Purdy’s 45-yard pass ensured that Aiyuk didn’t have to change his stride to catch the ball.
It was as if the ball appeared out of nowhere in his hands on his way to the end zone.
Not bad for a quarterback who isn’t known for his arm strength or ability to throw deep balls.
“Brock’s arm looks great,” said Kittle.
“You don’t get that many plays like that in a game,” Purdy told reporters. “I saw everything. It was pretty cool.”
While not every pass was as beautiful and effortless as the others on Sunday, the rest didn’t seem far off.
Purdy and his elite receivers sliced through the Buccaneers’ defense like butter. There wasn’t a single throw Purdy couldn’t complete on time, and he was asked to make some difficult passes against a tough Tampa Bay defense.
“Brock is a good, solid quarterback.” “I’m not sure if he can run a 4.3 [40-yard dash], but he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do at a really high level,” Shanahan said. “We run plays, he runs progressions, attacks coverages.” He runs through the entire defense.”
He did, indeed. And what a welcome change that is for San Francisco as the season nears its end.
It seems like a different era, but just over a week ago, there were legitimate concerns about Purdy’s ability to be that kind of quarterback in the future. Purdy, while still statistically solid, was making more mistakes than usual as the 49ers lost three straight games to end October. In those three losses, he turned the ball over six times. It was the difference between winning and losing for the Niners.
But in the two games since, he’s been a dynamo, going 40-of-51 for 629 yards, six touchdowns, and no turnovers.
Except for the turnovers, Shanahan said there was nothing Purdy needed to change from that stretch. He expected his quarterback to recover.
“You never know [if they can] until people go through it,” he said. “But the film was so good — he was playing incredible in those three losses.” It wasn’t anything to be concerned about… You just have to make sure he’s not making stuff up.”
Sunday, Purdy disagreed with Shanahan’s assessment.
He attributes his resurgent play — and that of the 49ers — to a mental shift. It’s a level of play the team will need to maintain as it enters its most difficult three-game stretch of the season: at Seattle on Thursday, at Philadelphia, and at home against Seattle.
“Not even that we were complacent or anything, but [we had the mindset] that we were just going to walk into the game and it was going to be given to us,” said Purdy. “I had to return to ‘Man, we gotta go take it.'”
“Getting back to that, and proving to myself that I can be the guy for this team every drive, every play.” Every week, I have to earn it.”
Purdy’s NFL career has now lasted more than a full regular season. He’s been thrown into every situation, good and bad, and he’s always found a way to thrive.
And his 18th game, on Sunday, might have been his best yet.
The fact that his performances still raise that question a year later says something. This guy doesn’t have much to prove anymore. What more could you want to see from No. 13 to convert you?
But as long as Purdy doesn’t believe he’s the real deal, the Niners’ most important position will remain in good hands.
