Kyle Shanahan couldn’t avoid addressing what happened with Brock Purdy in a game the 49ers won, but one in which their quarterback threw three painful interceptions, mistakes that, fortunately for San Francisco, didn’t turn into opposing touchdowns. Despite the rough sequence, the head coach insisted they were still the right reads.
“He just had three throws he’d love to take back. They were all three good decisions,” Shanahan said after the game, attempting to explain Purdy’s disastrous first half. “He was just a hair late on them and when you’re a hair late on stuff you can’t throw it behind them. He threw it behind them and all three guys made him pay.”
Those three interceptions will go down as one of Purdy’s worst stretches, though it wasn’t the game with the most turnovers in his career. Even Purdy agreed with Shanahan’s assessment afterward, saying, “I needed to just drive the ball a little more, I kept it up in the air too long on multiple of them… It had nothing to do with my toe.”
Opinions similar to Shanahan’s
Shanahan wasn’t the only one who tried to look on the bright side of what Purdy was going through. Analysts, reporters, and even other 49ers players discussed the difficult situation the quarterback faced after the game, which they ultimately won to gain a bit more comfort heading into the playoffs.
Among the analysis was David Lombardi, who commented on how lessons can be learned from poor games: “Those 3 first-half INTs can end up becoming one of the best things to happen to Brock Purdy and this 49ers offense this season if they’re applied as proper growth moments.”
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Brock Purdy breaks silence on his interception meltdown during 49ers–Panthers game
“No, absolutely not. He’s a professional and a really good football player,” said Christian McCaffrey when asked if he said anything to Purdy after the interceptions. “If I make a mistake or if I have a drop and if someone says ‘catch the ball’ it makes you want to knock them out. There’s really nothing to say. You just keep on playing. It’s a long game and anything can happen.”
