Brock Purdy has a ‘chip’ on his shoulder trying to establish himself as 49ers QB – NBC Sports Bay Area & California
After facing adversity for the first time in his NFL career during a tough three-game stretch, Brock Purdy has risen above the outside noise in the 49ers’ last two wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The young midfielder attributes the shift in mentality to San Francisco’s renewed performance over the past two weeks, shifting back to an underdog mentality in an attempt to prove he can lead the team moving forward.
“I was more upset, not even because we were complacent or anything like that, but almost, we’re going into the game and it’s going to be kind of given to us,” Purdy said after the 49ers’ 27th. -14 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. “I had to come back, man. We have to accept it. We have to win every game. It doesn’t matter who we play, it’s the NFL. Anything can happen. Any Sunday.”
“And that’s the chip (on my shoulder) that I was talking about. And so I go back to that and then prove myself on every drive, every game that I can be the guy for this team and I have to earn it every week. “In practice, in meetings, whatever It was. So, that’s the mindset I’ve been talking about and yeah, definitely more in tune with the details and stuff in the last couple of weeks and finding that chip again.”
Purdy certainly proved he can be “the guy” for San Francisco in its Week 11 win, as he joined 49ers legends Joe Montana and Steve Young as the only quarterbacks in franchise history to have a perfect passer rating of 158.3. Additionally, Purdy stands alone as the only 49ers quarterback to do so while throwing 20 or more pass attempts.
Not too shabby for a guy who was selected last by the 49ers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Christian McCaffrey, Purdy’s teammate, enjoys seeing the quarterback play with a little fire under him, telling reporters in the locker room after Sunday’s win that he hopes the haters keep coming.
Even during the 49ers’ three-game losing streak in Weeks 6-8, where Purdy was plagued by late-game interceptions, coach Kyle Shanahan’s faith in the 23-year-old never wavered. Shanahan still liked what he was seeing from Purdy on tape despite some of the blunders — something he echoed after the signal-caller’s big play against Tampa Bay.
“You never know until people go through it, but I mean the movie was pretty good,” Shanahan said of the possibility of Purdy becoming self-conscious after throwing in said footage. “The guy’s been playing unbelievable in those three losses, so there’s really nothing to worry about. You just have to make sure he’s not making things up that other people are making up. So you just have to make him stick to it.” Practice, stick to the film and do what you do. He had some bad picks in those games, but there wasn’t anything that he felt like he had to change what he was doing because he was playing at a high level in those losses, too.”
Now at 7-3 on the season, the 49ers face a tough three-game challenge with major NFL playoff implications in the coming weeks. They will travel to Seattle to face the 6-4 Seahawks on Thanksgiving, then return to Lincoln Financial Field in Week 13 for an NFC Championship rematch against the conference’s No. 1 seed Philadelphia Eagles before another game against Seattle at Levi’s Stadium in December. .10.
And Purdy, who has done more than enough to establish himself as the 49ers’ starting quarterback, will be ready — starting in Week 12 against longtime rival San Francisco.
“Yes, we’re at a point in the season where obviously every game is crucial. It’s huge,” Purdy said. “And going into a hostile environment in Seattle with the great team that they have, it’s going to be a big challenge for us and we’re excited about that.” Obviously, the history goes back to those two organizations, and being able to play on Thanksgiving against them with the division they’re in, it doesn’t get any better than that.
“I’m excited about it.”
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(tags for translation) Brooke Purdy
