How 49ers QB Brock Purdy can regain his swagger before postseason

Eric Williams

NFC West Writer

The ability to play with confidence can be a fleeting thing in the National Football League.

For most of the season, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy played with swagger because of his MVP-like production in leading San Francisco to an 11-4 record and a second straight NFC West title.

But a poor performance like the one against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday could derail that confidence for a chunk of games if Purdy lets the bad vibes linger. 

The Iowa State product must regain his confidence after a disastrous outing in a 33-19 home loss to Baltimore. Purdy finished 18-of-32 (56.3%) for 255 yards, with no touchdowns and four interceptions. He posted a season-low 42.6 passer rating. The Ravens finished with five interceptions in all, picking off Sam Darnold once after he relieved Purdy, who left the game in the fourth quarter with a shoulder stinger for the second week in a row.

San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said he expects Purdy to be back on the field Sunday in a road contest against the Washington Commanders. Defensively, the Commanders allow a league-high 30.2 points per game and are last in total yards allowed per contest (384.3), so Washington could be the soothing balm Purdy needs to recover from his worst performance of the season. 

But while Purdy should be fine physically, can he mentally overcome the hurdle of playing poorly in one of the biggest games of the year as his team attempts to get ready for the postseason?

“It was just a loss,” Shanahan told reporters this week when asked if the Baltimore game was a reality check.

Shanahan pointed to three of Purdy’s interceptions as bad luck on tipped passes or getting hit before he released the ball. He also referenced the Niners’ 102 penalty yards on 10 accepted penalties. 

“You play a good team, and you have five turnovers, and you have all those penalties. It makes it tough to win. I liked how our guys fought at the end.” 

Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/how-49ers-qb-brock-purdy-can-regain-his-swagger-before-postseason

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Publish date : 2023-12-28 16:50:49

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