Brock Purdy appeared to be under pressure two weeks ago. He genuinely expressed regret to the 49ers squad as a whole for making mistakes that led to three straight defeats.
With a quarterback rating of 157.3, which is nearly as excellent as it gets, Purdy has won his previous two games, completed 78.4% of his throws, thrown six touchdown passes and no interceptions since his mea culpa. And he accomplished this against Tampa Bay and Jacksonville, two strong defenses.
Has Purdy officially silenced his haters and critics?
He’s drawing near. He is now making lengthy passes downfield that he was not previously able to execute. Although he lacks the ability to chuck a 70-yard Hail Mary, the 49ers do not require him to do so. He’s more than capable of performing what they want of him.
But he still has one more thing he needs to do to silence his critics for good
Purdy must demonstrate that he is a capable player when trailing. He’s fantastic when he’s winning. His completion percentage is 71.3, his interception % is zero, and he has a quarterback rating of 127.8.
This season, Purdy’s interceptions rise to 5.6, his completion percentage falls to 63.9, and his quarterback rating plummets to 82 while he is behind.
When Purdy is losing, he appears to be a whole different quarterback. He can’t rely as much on the run game and the play-action passing game in those circumstances. He needs to back off and toss. Furthermore, neither he nor the offense excel at doing that. Play action is a much greater tool for him.
Purdy is fortunate in that he hardly ever trails because both he and the 49ers are excellent. But at some point, as he did in the 49ers’ three losses, he will fall behind.
He will be defined by his response.
