One of the big storylines heading into the San Francisco 49ers' Week 13 matchup with the Cleveland Browns was the manner in which Brock Purdy had performed (or not performed, as the case may be) when faced with inclement weather conditions. And there was certainly some evidence to back up the concerns among Niners fans.
Prior to Sunday's contest, Purdy had won just two of his five starts when it was either raining or snowing at kickoff and had completed just 57.4 percent of his passes. He also had a passer rating of just 64.8 in games with unfavorable conditions, a steep (or precipitous if you prefer) drop from the 105.1 passer rating he'd earned in games with fair weather.
Other quarterbacks have had it far worse in bad weather (we're looking at you, Tua Tagovailoa), but that's certainly not the stat line you're looking for when both rain and snow were expected in Cleveland on Sunday.
All that said, Purdy did luck out a touch, as that expected precipitation never really came to pass. However, there was still plenty of moisture left over from the storms that hit Northeastern Ohio over the previous two days, and the frigid temperature and swirling winds certainly made things more difficult.
Nevertheless, Purdy, who opted not to wear a glove, put forth a solid effort in tough conditions against an even tougher Cleveland defense, completing 16 of 29 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings with zero interceptions, also running for a touchdown in the Niners' dominant 26-8 victory, thus earning an 83.7 passer rating.
It wasn't a perfect performance by any stretch of the imagination, but the 25-year-old capitalized on the short fields he was given by the San Francisco special teams and defense, moving the offense efficiently in those situations while also making a few explosive plays of his own, all while playing turnover-free football.
So, the Niners certainly have to call that a win.
Purdy was naturally asked about the conditions in his postgame presser and said he simply prepared himself mentally for the conditions he could potentially face and went out and played the best he could.
"Yesterday we got here, and there was snow all over two days ago, and then yesterday was snowing late at night," Purdy said Sunday. "So, I woke up this morning, and I was like, 'All right, it is what it is. We just got to go find a way to win.' It doesn't matter how or what.
"Protect the ball, play within our offense, and let our defense and special teams do their thing, and also be smart. So, it didn't matter what it was going to look like. We've just got to find a way, and for me as a quarterback, protect the ball and get it done. So, that was the mindset."
With three of the 49ers' four remaining games after their Week 14 bye set to be contested at the friendly confines of Levi's Stadium, and their only remaining road game against the Indianapolis Colts being played indoors, Sunday should be the harshest weather game they play all season, at least for now, as trips to cold-weather cities are undoubtedly on the table for the Niners come the postseason if they fail to secure the top seed in the NFC.