Christian McCaffrey absence forces Brock Purdy to dig into bag of tricks

If you've noticed a strange change in some of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy's play this year, you're not alone.

While he's never been the stereotypical pocket passer of old, his play in the first few weeks of the season has shown an interesting addition to his skill set that might previously have been kept well hidden.

Throughout the first three weeks of the season, and through the New England Patriots game so far, Purdy has flashed an incredible amount of escapbility and nimbleness, running for multiple first downs, and in many cases, giving the team's offense a badly needed shot in the arm.

Through the first quarter-plus versus the Pats, Purdy has 15 carries for 76 yards and has converted multiple plays for first downs with his feet. That's without including the plays that have developed through his ability to extend, such as the backyard football-like play against the Los Angeles Rams last week.

True, it's not quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick or even Steve Young numbers, but it's been great fun to watch and it's significantly helping the 49ers offense achieve its goals. We haven't seen many designed runs for Purdy, but it can only be a matter of time until that shows up given the athletic ability he's displaying.

As far as why this is happening, the answer's a little clearer than it might appear on paper. And it's the absence of running back Christian McCaffrey.

Related story: Stats prove Brock Purdy is better than a consensus top-5 quarterback

Without McCaffrey as a checkdown option (and a similar ability to make plays in difficult circumstances in crowded parts of the field), and with no receiving running back emerging as a replacement, with backup rusher Jordan Mason not exactly having it as part of his skill set, Purdy is having to invent different ways to get vital yardage.

It may not continue, particularly as the Niners seem to have recognised this as an issue, putting both offensive weapons Kyle Juszczyk and Deebo Samuel in the backfield more recently, particularly on third downs, to widen the number of options available to Purdy in key moments.

It's also unlikely that the team will want Purdy to be putting himself in harm's way too much, as it's a bit of a heart-in-the-mouth moment every time he takes off on a run.

Still, it's an interesting wrinkle that's showing up productively on the field and is yet another addition to head coach Kyle Shanahan's Swiss Army Knife of offensive weapons.

How do you feel about Purdy's scrambling?

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