SANTA CLARA — What started as a “spotty” performance ended with 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy slicing down New York Giants blitz packages Thursday night.
Purdy completed 25 of 37 pass attempts for 310 yards and two touchdowns with a passer rating of 111.3 in the 49ers’ 30-12 win over the Giants.
“I thought he got a lot better as the game went on,” 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey said. “I’m not a quarterbacks coach, so I don’t always like to comment on quarterback play, but I know when he started seeing things he was rolling.
“We’re lucky to have him as our quarterback, that’s for sure.”
Purdy appeared to be off his game early in the 49ers’ home opener at Levi’s Stadium.
But as the game went on, he figured things out and overwhelmed the Titans’ offense with critical layups by Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and others.
“I felt like it was a little choppy at first,” Purdy said. “And then once we got into a rhythm, we kind of saw what they were doing and at what point in the game they were going to start doing things.”
Purdy has faced a steady diet of blitzes nearly three times the league average. The Giants blitzed Purdy on 37 of his 43 dropbacks, including plays that were negated by penalties, according to Pro Football Focus.
On plays where he attacked the Giants’ defense, Purdy was 19 of 31 for 252 yards with two touchdowns and a 108.5 passer rating.
“That’s their scheme. That’s the way they did things,” Purdy said. “They’re very good at it, so coming into the game we only had an idea on film and what we were going to get. “They stuck with it, and yeah, it was a four-quarter game.”
Purdy and Samuel provided the dagger in the fourth quarter when the protection held up well enough to overcome another blitz called by New York defensive coordinator Don Martindale for a 27-yard back-shoulder touchdown.
The 49ers appear to have the playmakers on offense to take advantage of teams rolling the dice by sending pressure and weakening their coverage.
Purdy is adept at making advance reads and getting rid of the ball quickly. Samuel, Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey thrive on making short passes and turning them into big gains.
“I feel like we were able to make a few plays here and there on offense and take advantage of it,” Purdy said. “We have to watch the film and learn from it. When another defense starts pressing and doing things like that, I feel like there are big plays to make.
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