Brock Purdy’s attention is on the Eagles and their powerful defense as he prepares for his largest regular-season start as a pro, rather than the disappointment of his previous trip to Philadelphia, which resulted in a serious elbow injury.
“Am I going to go in there and get all sentimental about, ‘Man, I’ve come a long way since,'” Purdy said reporters on Thursday. “It’s not quite like that. We have a goal in mind, and each week I strive to be the best version of myself. So, am I going to enter the game proclaiming my desire for vengeance and such? That is not the case. “I’m just going to go do my job.”
Whatever happens when the 49ers (8-3) visit the Eagles (10-1) on Sunday in a showdown of the teams vying for the top two NFC playoff seeds, it will not impact the outcome of the greater game played in January.
San Francisco entered the game on a 12-game winning streak, confident that Purdy and the offense could outperform the Philadelphia defense and bring the Niners to the Super Bowl.
On the first drive, Haason Reddick hit Purdy so hard that Purdy tore a ligament in his throwing elbow. Josh Johnson, the backup, came in and battled before leaving with a concussion early in the third quarter.
The Niners were forced to play the most of the second half with Purdy at quarterback and unable to throw the ball more than a few yards, resulting in a 31-7 victory for the Eagles.
“We felt good about our game plan and stuff,” added Purdy. “Obviously, things didn’t go our way in terms of keeping the quarterback healthy, so it’s difficult to say exactly what we were going to do and all that stuff.” But after Josh died, things shifted and I had to be put back in there. You go into a game believing that everything you do will be good. So I feel like we never really got to that. So I’m going to leave it at that.”
The 49ers enter this game playing at a greater offensive level than they did a year ago, thanks in large part to Purdy’s progress.
Purdy was pressed into action as a rookie last December and helped San Francisco win his first seven starts before losing to Philadelphia.
This season, he is handling an even heavier workload and enters this game leading the NFL in passer rating (112.3), completion rate (70.2%), and yards per attempt (9.4), owing to what he describes as a better understanding of the playbook and his responsibilities.
“I was still trying to find my way in the NFL and play consistent and prove to the guys that I can play,” he told ESPN. “Now it’s all about being consistent, every single drive, every game, and being able to handle all the factors that come with playing quarterback, the noises, keeping guys calm, cool, and collected, that kind of thing.” So, I feel like in that game, or at that moment, I wasn’t that guy yet. That, I believe, is a distinction.”
Purdy may have to contend with more than just the Eagles’ formidable defensive front, as rain is expected on Sunday.
Purdy had trouble holding the ball in wet weather earlier this season at Cleveland and suggested he would use a glove on his throwing hand if the weather is bad enough.
“A wet ball makes it harder on everybody,” said coach Kyle Shanahan. “I’ve had some individuals who suffer a lot in the rain. I’ve been through numerous circumstances with Brock, not only in games but also in practice, and I believe he’s as good as any quarterback I’ve had in the rain.”
