49ers’s Brock Purdy after the crash and burn: `I have to be real with myself and be better’
SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy took the post game podium on Christmas night the way he has 14 other times this season. No sign of outward emotion, whether it be euphoria or despair.
But a 33-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at Levi’s Stadium was unlike any Purdy has had in the brief whirlwind that has been his 49ers career.
The same guy who had carved up carved up four teams with winning records in one-sided victories, compiling a 141.2 passer rating with 13 touchdown passes and zero interceptions bottomed out with a 42.6 rating with no touchdown passes and four turnovers.
A burgeoning Most Valuable Player candidacy was over, not that it ever seemed to matter much to Purdy, who himself backed teammate Christian McCaffrey. He finished 18 of 32 for 255 yards, but that was window dressing to the worst night of his professional career. The worst by a longshot — and it came with the entire country watching.
We’ll learn a lot about how the 49ers bounce back the next two weeks in hope of retaining the No. 1 seed and home field advantage in the NFC, but we’ll learn even more about Purdy. And what we learned after the Baltimore loss is he’s not ducking any responsibility.
“I’ve got to ask myself, who are you?,” Purdy said. “What do you stand for? Who are when things are good? Who are you when things don’t go your way? It’s easy to be riding high and thinking you’re the man, winning games and you really don’t have a lot of adversity in some games.”
“I have to look myself in the mirror . . . make some cleaner decisions, put up points and protect the ball. I want to be consistent in how I do things, whether things are going well or not. I know who I am and I’m not going to waver and I’m going to hang my hat on that.”
Of the four interceptions, the worst one was the first one in the eyes of coach Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers had started much as they had in some other marquis games against tough opposition. The defense recorded a three-and-out against the Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson. Purdy drove the 49ers to the Baltimore 15 with passes of 58 and 13 yards to George Kittle.
The front-running 49ers were on the verge of their 10th touchdown on their opening possession this season. And then . . .
Purdy got greedy, and paid the price. He thought he saw Deebo Samuel flash open, abandoned his progression and never saw Kyle Hamilton lurking near the goal line. Hamilton intercepted the gift.
INTERCEPTION @kyledhamilton_!!!!!!#ProBowlVote | Tune in on ABC/ESPN!!!! pic.twitter.com/XB8pMN8HAQ
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 26, 2023
“Jut read the coverage wrong, didn’expect someone to be back there and made the wrong decision,” Shanahan said.
Said Purdy: “Obviously we were rolling had some momentum, had some really big plays on that drive and then I throw the ball like that. For me, that definitely hurt. I wish I had it back. I wish I would have checked it down and kept the drive alive . . . clear as day on me.”
Of the four interceptions, the first one and the third one were on Purdy. On No. 2, Marlon Humphrey got a deflected pass off a ball batted in the air by Brandon Stephens. On the fourth pick, Purdy read the coverage correctly, was going to short to McCaffrey and was hit from the side.
Purdy’s third interception of the half came when he scrambled out of the pocket and hoped to locate George Kittle for a first down. Except during the play, McCaffrey was called for a chop block, flags were flying, and it was apparent the 49ers weren’t going to get the first down even if the ball was complete. Purdy saw the flags and threw the ball anyway. It bounced off Kittle and to Hamilton.
THAT'S INTERCEPTION NO. 2 FOR @kyledhamilton_!!!!! #ProBowlVote
TUNE IN ON ESPN/ABC!!! pic.twitter.com/v1C25a6s7A
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 26, 2023
“I can’t make a bad play worse,” Purdy said. “I have to know that, that’s on us in terms of the flag, just by body languages on our offensive line, for me to throw across my body in the middle of the field with a guy on George, it’s very dumb. I have to throw the ball away and be willing to punt. That’s something I learn from the hard way.”
The 49ers didn’t seem overly concerned that what happened with Purdy is new trend, and that the thoughtful decision-maker has suddenly become a disaster after being the first 49er to throw four interceptions since Colin Kaepernick in 2015.
“This is his first time really getting the other side of it,” wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk said. “We’ll see him bounce back.”
Shanahan stopped short of saying Purdy was due for this kind of game, but said “I just think the fact that he’s played this long and never had a game like this was pretty unusual. That’s the reality of the NFL.”
McCaffrey, who gained 65 of the 67 yards rushing and passing on the 49ers second-quarter touchdown drive, bristled at the thought of giving Purdy a pep talk.
“I don’t think Brock ever needs an encouraging word,” McCaffrey said. “He’s a pro’s pro. He’s one of the best players in this entire league and it’s not all on him. Turnovers come from a bunch of different ways. We’ve got to get open, we’ve got to protect and give him a good shot.”
Kittle, who manages to find humor in any situation, cracked, “I think the script writers did a great job tonight. I never saw Brock Purdy throw interceptions before.”
Neither had anyone else. In 48 college games at Iowa State, Purdy threw threw three interceptions in a game four times, but never four.
“Our team came ready to play, and for me teo make some decisions like that, it pains me,” Purdy said. “It’ not fair to those guys. I have to realize that and understand that and I have to be better for my team.”
The 49ers are counting on it.