Any debate over the San Francisco 49ers quarterback’s standing in the MVP contest was put to rest after Brock Purdy had the worst performance of his career. A career-high four interceptions ruined Purdy’s effort against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night, which ultimately led to a 33-19 loss.
An encounter such as that can be intimidating for a rookie quarterback. Just over a year ago, Purdy—who is only in his second NFL season—made his first start. The quarterback has shown the composure and leadership of an experienced veteran in spite of this setback, giving the squad hope that he will bounce back quickly from the subpar performance.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Purdy, “He’s just got to move forward and treat it like a game.” “We discussed the game. Before I see him, he completes everything on his own. Yesterday, I had some time to watch it with him. I am aware that it is never easy to have four interceptions and no touchdowns, particularly if you have already had four by the middle of the third quarter. However, you also investigate each of them. You discuss the events and their causes with him, and based on the game, you can see that he won’t have any trouble recovering and returning to work this week.”
Shanahan dissected each of Purdy’s four game-winning interceptions on Tuesday morning. Shanahan credited some excellent defensive plays by the Ravens for the other goals, but he acknowledged that Purdy made a mistake on the first one.
Purdy, who turned 24 yesterday, has had a great deal of success in the NFL in his early years. Shanahan views Purdy’s humble loss as a chance for him to develop and learn.
“I thought the biggest thing for Brock was the way it went in the first half,” Shanahan said. “After the four decisions, I felt that Brock suffered the most, based on our brief conversation. I felt that his first choice was a poor one. The next three, in my opinion, were regrettable incidents for which there are no justifications.
“They produced some excellent football plays, but there are also some difficult ones. However, playing a lot of football after having four picks and other things is difficult, particularly when facing that kind of defense behind the catch.
The ability to feel it, understand what happened and why, and still have to go outside and play with it was, in my opinion, the ideal experience for him. And in my opinion, that’s the greatest experience that game has to offer.”
