Kyle Shanahan raved about 1 big play from Brock Purdy

Jan 29, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) during warmups against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Brock Purdy continues to demonstrate that he is not just a system quarterback for Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers.

Purdy drew big praise from Shanahan for one specific play in the second half of Thursday’s win over the Seattle Seahawks. The quarterback found Brandon Aiyuk with a 28-yard dart for a touchdown that essentially put the game out of reach.

Brock 🎯 BA @brockpurdy13 | @THE2ERA#SFvsSEA on @SNFonNBC
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4oaLh pic.twitter.com/s6HiWpwNeg

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 24, 2023

After the game, Shanahan admitted that the expectation had been that Purdy would check down for easy yardage, and that he “couldn’t believe” the quarterback was attempting the throw.

“I couldn’t believe he was throwing it,” Shanahan said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “The zone coverage guys were so deep, which usually you can check it down right underneath them and get about 12, but Brock thought he could drop it in over the guy, and it was a clear view for all of us and a hell of a throw, perfect touch, got it over him, and that was the big play that sealed it.

“He proved to us while the ball was in the air it was the right direction.”

Purdy was the last pick in the 2022 draft and an obvious afterthought. When pressed into duty by injuries, he showed himself to be the answer the team had been looking for at the position. Shanahan is impressed enough that he tweaked his offense to get the most out of him, and it has been paying off.

Purdy now has 2,871 passing yards and 19 touchdowns to just six interceptions after Thursday’s win, leading the league with a 70.2 percent completion rate.