Brock Purdy proves he can lead San Francisco 49ers to Super Bowl with big win
The bad
Getting skittish in the pocket:
The one bad habit that Purdy seems to have in his play is a tendency to remove himself from the pocket by moving back and to the left, a move that cost him some big yardage against the Cardinals which thankfully didn’t cost the 49ers too much.
While Purdy didn’t concede any huge sacks of this nature against the Seahawks, there were a lot of plays (especially late in the first half) where he took off at the first sign of trouble and repeatedly had to throw the ball away. He was a bit skittish in the pocket, and didn’t allow himself to get set which forced some errant throws into coverages where there was no chance of a reception and a very big chance of being picked.
Fortunately Purdy looked refreshed and ready for the second half, and was able to calm down and allow himself to go through his progressions and launch some impressive strikes. He just has to make sure he doesn’t get flushed out too soon.
Missing the deep ball:
We’ve all see Purdy hit some impressive deep balls in his tenure as the 49ers starter, but he’s not been quite as accurate in recent weeks.
He had wide receiver Jauan Jennings open for a touchdown in this game, but threw the ball too late which allowed the pass to be broken up. If he had his timing just a little better, it would have been a certain score.
Purdy’s arm strength is never going to be the best but his has the touch to make the throws, but he’s very dependent on timing. It’s just not been there in recent weeks, but luckily it hasn’t had to be either.
Slow start:
Purdy usually has excellent vision and decision making skills, but these were a bit spotty in the game and particularly the first. He had good throws of course, but he also missed throws like the aforementioned potential Jennings touchdown as well as missing Deebo Samuel underneath when he went for a deep ball that was nowhere close.
In addition, a lot of quick passes didn’t have the kind of accuracy needed that he usualy provides.
As mentioned Purdy was better as the game went on and he had a spectacular second half, but 49ers fans will be hoping he can have that kind of game for the full four quarters.