How is Brock Purdy approaching 49ers’ playoff game vs. Cowboys? It starts with the letter E
SANTA CLARA — The site of Brock Purdy’s only bowl win as Iowa State’s quarterback: State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. That, in a compelling twist of fate, is where this season’s Super Bowl will be on Feb. 12.
Purdy certainly can make it there as the 49ers’ rookie quarterback, if he sticks with what’s kept him undefeated through seven games since replacing an injured Jimmy Garoppolo.
Of all his rapidly endearing qualities, Purdy’s elusive nature is an “X” factor that is required Sunday, when the No. 2-seed 49ers (14-4) host the No. 5-seed Dallas Cowboys (13-5) and their NFL-best pass rush.
To appreciate that aspect, rewind to the Fiesta Bowl win on Jan. 2, 2021, when Purdy led Iowa State past Oregon 34-17. He got sacked just once, and he ran for 39 yards and a touchdown on nine carries — or, as he recalled Thursday: “A lot of scrambles there, so that was fun.”
“Brock showcased his talent that day,” said Deommodore Lenoir, an Oregon cornerback and now a 49ers teammate. “I knew he was a good quarterback, but that game, we were not able to sack him, and we had Kayvon Thibodeaux and a lot of big D-line players that were good edge rushers.”
Thibodeaux got drafted No. 9 overall by the New York Giants last spring, while Purdy lingered until the 262nd and final pick. They could, by the way, match up again in the NFC Championship Game, if the No. 6-Giants upset the No. 1-seed Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday.
But back to the draft. Lenoir didn’t tune in until Day 3 and had no idea Purdy was still on the board. Once the 49ers made the “Mr. Irrelevant” selection, Purdy already had a fan in place in Lenoir from their Fiesta Bowl day.
“He was juking our linemen. Kayvon Thibodeaux ran a 4.5 at the combine and that’s different for an edge rusher,” Lenoir said. “When I saw that Kayvon couldn’t get him, it was crazy. … I didn’t know he was this good. He’s shocked me.”
At Thursday’s practice, Purdy went through a seemingly routine warmup, with quarterbacks coach Brian Griese pointedly instructing him how to move in the pocket. Such tips will come in handy against a Cowboys defense that ranked third in sacks (54) and led the NFL in quarterback pressures (271, per Pro Football Focus; the 49ers had 228).
Three months before Purdy eluded Oregon’s pass rushers, he learned a valuable lesson against TCU. On a now-infamous third-quarter play, he dodged one defender, but as another pulled him down for a potential sack, Purdy chucked the ball in the air — backward. A TCU defender snagged it, returned it 24 yards for a touchdown, but Purdy and the Cyclones recovered for a 37-34 win.
“That was a point in my career,” Purdy said, “when I had to take a step back and say, ‘Just do what’s asked of you, don’t do too much, and you’re hurting the team when you make those mistakes, so just learn from it and not press.”
Therein lies another invaluable trait that’s kept the 49ers on an 11-game win streak: Purdy has thrown just three interceptions and has no lost fumbles. Instead, he’s thrown 16 touchdown passes and ran for two scores.
After beating the Seattle Seahawks 41-23 in last Saturday’s playoff debut, Purdy went with his family to a nearby steakhouse, where diners recognized him and rose to their feet in applause. Purdy sheepishly appreciate the gesture — after a stadium of 71,299 fans chanted his last name, just as they did in his Dec. 11 starting debut against Tampa Bay and Tom Brady.
“I’m not trying to go into the public seeking celebration for my performance,” Purdy said. “It’s cool that Niner Nation is awesome across the board and out in public they want to show their appreciation for players, so I’m thankful for that. It’s cool my family got to see that support. But it’s not what I look for.”
While Purdy (23) is the youngest starting quarterback left in these playoffs, Cowboys counterpart Dak Prescott (29) is the oldest.
Prescott made the playoffs his rookie year, too, and, although he also scaled the depth chart because of injuries to two quarterbacks, Tony Romo (back fracture) and Kellen Moore (tibia fracture) got hurt before the season. Prescott entered the playoffs with a 13-3 record as a rookie starter, before losing his playoff debut on a last-second field goal to the visiting Green Bay Packers.
Prescott has started 99 regular-season games to Purdy’s five. Both are elusive, in their own way, seeing how Prescott (6-foot-2, 238) is a bigger body than Purdy (6-1, 220).
Prescott has passed and rushed for a touchdown in four straight playoff games, an NFL-record streak. Purdy is 1-for-1 in that aspect, having rushed for a touchdown and thrown for three in the wild-card win over Seattle. Former 49ers quarterback Steve Young had eight such games in his career, including the 1994 season’s NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park, when the Cowboys lost 38-28 in their last playoff visit to the 49ers.
Only four rookie quarterbacks have won a divisional playoff game: Shaun King (1999 Bucs), Ben Roethlisberger (2004 Steelers), Joe Flacco (2008 Ravens) and Mark Sanchez (2009 Jets). None from that quartet scored more than 20 points in their respective win, however. The 49ers are scoring 35 points a game with Purdy, who grew up in Queen Creek, Arizona., about an hour away from State Farm Stadium.
To get there, Purdy must beat the Cowboys in the playoffs, like Garoppolo did last January, like Joe Montana and Steve Young did before them decades ago.
“Obviously in the 90s, they went at it and there’s a lot of history and a lot of Super Bowls between the organizations,” Purdy said. “To be a part of it, I’m very thankful. You see all the highlights from the 90s and fast forward to now and same the two teams are going at it, fighting for the same thing, and it’s pretty cool.
“But it’s not like, ‘Man, this is going to be some kind of Netflix documentary.’ I don’t want to make it bigger than that. I’m very thankful to be a part of the rivalry. It’s going to be a good one.”
RYANS’ TIME MANAGEMENT
Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans said his head-coaching interviews will be a mix of in-person and virtual sessions, with Thursday’s being an in-person meeting with the Denver Broncos’ brass. Also reportedly in his queue: the Houston Texans, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Arizona Cardinals.
“With everything you do as a coach, you’re trying to crunch a lot of things in and dissect a lot of information in a certain amount of time,” Ryans said. “Time management is crucial to have.”
“I know how to make the main thing the main thing, and this week’s main thing is the Cowboys.”
Ryans said the Cowboys’ offense starts with their run game, and Ryans called Pro Bowl back Tony Pollard an “explosive, dynamic” complement to veteran Ezekiel Elliott. Ryans praised Dak Prescott’s playoff-opening dominance Monday night (four touchdown passes, one touchdown run). “They’re clicking right now,” Ryans said. “Their playmakers are making plays. It’s a really good team we’re playing and a tough challenge for us.”
PRACTICE OBSERVATIONS
Left tackle Trent Williams resumed practicing after going through his normal Wednesday in which he conditioned on the side.
Wide receiver Jauan Jennings (ankle) was limited, as were defensive linemen Samson Ebukam (ankle) and Javon Kinlaw (knee).
Not practicing were Garoppolo (foot) and cornerback Ambry Thomas (ankle), the latter of whom worked out well on the side with a trainer.