Brock Purdy played one of the worst games of his career in Week 2 against the Vikings.
SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy played one of the worst games of his career in Week 2 against the Vikings.
He passed for 319 yards and 1 touchdown, but he also threw an interception, and he fumbled, and he took six sacks, and most of them were his fault because he just stood there frozen in the pocket. He scrambled only two times in the entire game even though he was under heavy pressure. He looked like Jimmy Garoppolo.
Since that game, Purdy has rushed 15 times in two weeks. Suddenly, he has become an aggressive scrambler. As a result, he has gotten sacked just twice in the past two games.
On Monday, Kyle Shanahan was asked about this recent trend from Purdy. Here’s what Shanahan said.
“We had a lot of three-man rushes I felt more than usual versus Minnesota and the Rams especially. People play soft Tampa 2 and he got a couple times in the game. One time he checked it down to Kittle for an 11-yard gain. Other times they had a five technique in that didn’t allow Kittle to get out on a check-down. So, when the guy sunk under everybody, he just broke out of the pocket and tried to buy time for the zone to break down. And if they don’t, he just scrambles for yards. But just the typical reasons. Zoning coverages, people deep under your eligible. Brock’s got a knack on when to check it down and when to escape the pocket and make some plays. Sometimes he does it on his own. Sometimes a D-Lineman flashes color and so he doesn’t wait on something and makes a play and gets out of there a little faster than usual. But there’s not any one particular answer.”
Purdy’s scrambles are the most unpredictable aspect of Shanahan’s offense. The more he uses his legs, the better the team will be.