Brock Purdy produced one of the best performances of his career on Sunday without several of the key members of his supporting cast.
It proved in vain as the San Francisco 49ers let slip a 10-point lead in a stunning 27-24 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, which dropped them to a 1-2.
One of the reasons why it proved in vain was a rare error by Purdy.
With the 49ers attempting to ice the game up 24-17 in the fourth quarter with a little over four minutes remaining, Purdy had a chance to hit an open Brandon Aiyuk on a deep shot that likely would have resulted in a game-winning completion if not a touchdown.
Instead, Purdy held the ball and, after a scramble drill, found Jauan Jennings for a five-yard gain. Three plays later, Jake Moody sent a 55-yard field goal attempt wide left, critically giving the Rams a short field.
On his Monday conference call, head coach Kyle Shanahan gave a detailed explanation of what happened on the play.
Brock didn’t make many mistakes yesterday, but this was one. Aiyuk had a walk off TD if he saw him. Protection was more than fine too pic.twitter.com/oHxVTKvV5o
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) September 23, 2024
Said Shanahan:
“They busted a coverage and B.A. had a deep curl route. They busted a coverage, so B.A. did the right thing and just took off and went to that hole. It kind of caught Brock by surprise because B.A. was number two in the progression and when he looked to him B.A. wasn’t in the right spot because they busted a coverage and he went down the field and Brock thought about it, he just wasn’t sure where the rest of the safety was or anything, since he wasn’t anticipating that to happen. It would’ve worked, obviously, if he let it go, but that happens sometimes. Defense busts a coverage and if you’re not looking at the guy the whole time, all of a sudden it turns it into a go route, you can’t always just let it rip.”
Asked about the coverage the Rams were supposed to be in, Shanahan replied: “They’re supposed to be in [cover] two sky weak and the corner safety is supposed to be a half player, stayed in a cloud and didn’t play half.”
Two of Purdy’s best traits are his processing skills and his aggressiveness. Purdy’s willingness to push the ball downfield and extend plays have been key factors in his ability to elevate the 49er offense well above the levels it reached with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback.
But his processing was a little off as he struggled to combat the disguise thrown at him by Brian Flores’ defense in the 49ers’ Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, especially on an interception on which he appeared to eschew a throw to an open Jennings.
Though Shanahan clearly explained why it was understandable Purdy turned down a potentially decisive throw to Aiyuk, there’s a case to be made that his reticence to throw that ball was a result of him still being unsettled by the experience of the Minnesota game.
Purdy understandably didn’t recognize what he was seeing, even though it was a coverage bust that put him in an excellent position to make a crucial play. That made him curb the aggressive tendencies that have brought him great rewards during his still young NFL career.
It’s tough to be overly critical of decisions that are made in a split second under the pressure of a big-time moment in the game. However, with the 49er defense struggling in the early going this season, it’s becoming increasingly apparent San Francisco may need a lot of big-time throws from Purdy to still be contending deep into the postseason. After paying the price for plays on which he failed to let it rip in successive weeks, the 49ers would likely benefit from Purdy at least taking a few more chances going forward.