The loss to the Arizona Cardinals revealed an area that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy needs to improve on.
Losing to the Arizona Cardinals was avoidable for the San Francisco 49ers.
They had a double-digit lead once again heading into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the 49ers failed to hold onto it and collapsed like they did two weeks ago against the Los Angeles Rams. This team has extremely concerning issues and must correct them immediately.
One of those issues resides with quarterback Brock Purdy. He is exceptional and has brought stability to the position, but there is still an area where Purdy needs to improve. That area is holding onto the ball too long. Purdy operates as if he has all the time in the world in the pocket.
It is an issue that Tom Brady, who was a commentator for the game, cited during the broadcast. Purdy needs to get the ball out of his hand faster and treat it like a “hot potato” as Brady said. Purdy is the reason why the offensive line is getting overly criticized for their pass protection.
According to Next Gen Stats, the 49ers have allowed the fifth-highest pressure rate on the season (39.3%), despite having the highest time to pressure (3.02). So, the offensive line is actually doing an adequate job if not better. It’s just that they can’t hold off pass rushers for as long as Purdy wants to hold onto the ball.
That is why he is scrambling so often. It is a result of him holding onto the ball for too long, then the pocket collapses because the offensive line can’t be sturdy for over three seconds. He is unnecessarily scrambling as a result. Entering Week 5, Purdy has averaged 9.1 scramble yards per dropback this season, second-most in the NFL behind only Jayden Daniels, and 2.3 more yards than his average last season (6.8).
Purdy averaged 11.8 scramble yards per dropback in the 49ers Week 3 loss against the Rams, the most in a game in his career. Purdy then followed up by averaging 11.1 such yards in Week 4 against the Patriots, the 2nd-highest mark of his career. He needs to start taking more checkdowns instead of waiting for the deep shot to open up.
It’s ridiculous that Purdy thinks he has all day to throw on almost every dropback. It is why he threw an interception at the end of the game against the Cardinals. He’s waiting for the deep routes to open up when he should take the open receiver short, which he had with George Kittle.
Purdy has to clean this up and fast or else the offense will continue to struggle.