He beat Tom Brady in his first NFL start. Now Brock Purdy has claimed a second-straight win to deliver the San Francisco 49ers the NFC West divisional title and a playoff berth.
Despite battling oblique and rib injuries, Purdy completed 17 of 26 throws for 217 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the 21-13 win over Seattle.
In fact, Purdy did not throw a single pass in practice all week – only throwing a couple of balls in the team hotel the morning of the game.
Coach Kyle Shanahan was extremely impressed with his quarterback’s gutsy effort, saying: “I had a lot of respect for him before the game, but a lot more now.”
It is a remarkable start to life in the NFL for the third-string San Francisco quarterback, who was the last player selected in the 2022 NFL Draft – a selection that comes with the traditional moniker ‘Mr Irrelevant’.
Even more incredibly, he joins Aaron Rodgers as the only quarterbacks to have a passer rating of 115 or better in their first two career starts.
“He’s definitely the most poised rookie I’ve ever had,” Shanahan added as his side sealed the divisional title for the first time since their Super Bowl run in 2019.
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The 49ers scored a touchdown in each of the first three quarters in what was a more comfortable win than the scoreline suggests.
Purdy – in his first road game – nailed his first 11 pass attempts, including a double pump-fake throw to tight end George Kittle for a 28-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Christian McCaffrey rushed for a 1-yard touchdown after a Seattle turnover late in the first half, before Kittle was left in a massive hole early in the third quarter for a 54-yard TD and a 21-3 lead.
The Seahawks finally managed to claw back a touchdown of their own with 3:35 remaining in the final quarter to threaten a late comeback, but the remarkably calm and composed Purdy saw out the finish to a rapturous reception from the 49ers fans.
“This is awesome. I think we have one of the best fan bases in the NFL,” Purdy said.
But it was their defense that reaffirmed their status as one of the best in the league.
“We’re extremely happy to be back in the dance,” Niners defensive end Nick Bosa told Prime Video after the game. “All we ever talked about was just getting back to the dance and now we’re in it.”
It was the 10-4 49ers’ seventh-straight win, but Seattle (7-7) slumped to their fourth loss in five games.
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