The San Francisco 49ers find themselves with a 7-3 record after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-14 at Levi’s Stadium in Week 11. San Francisco’s road to its current standing wasn’t easy, as injuries and a three-game losing streak momentarily derailed the 49ers’ plans this year. But coach Kyle Shanahan knows his team is resilient, beginning with star quarterback Brock Purdy.
“I think Brock has been great because he’s been consistent through it all,” Shanahan said Sunday after the 49ers’ win. “We never felt anything with Brock during those three losses. I think he’s pretty realistic, so he doesn’t really get into stuff that’s not that accurate.”
Purdy struggled mightily and threw five interceptions during the 49ers’ three-game skid but has since recovered with dominant play. After the 49ers’ Week 9 bye, Purdy has thrown for 629 yards, six touchdowns and an impressive passer rating of 157.3, leading San Francisco to back-to-back wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a combined 44 points.
Besides admiring Purdy’s unwavering confidence, Shanahan also acknowledged his quarterback’s play against the Buccaneers. “I thought he played really well,” Shanahan explained to reporters. “There were very few [passes] that he missed. [He] protected the ball extremely well. When there wasn’t anything there, we didn’t have any intentional groundings and did a good job of moving the chains, also. Especially at the end there on that keeper. I thought he had a hell of a game.”
In Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay, Purdy completed 21 of 25 passes for 333 yards, three touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Mr. Irrelevant’s performance included a 76-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk, the longest touchdown pass of his career and the longest touchdown thrown by any player this season.
Purdy has the 49ers back in high spirits and looking like the team that was once 5-0 this year. He’s earned high praise from Shanahan for his poise both on and off the field and has the trust of everybody pulling for San Francisco. Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast