Brock Purdy spent three hours Sunday explaining why coach Kyle Shanahan handed him the keys to the 49ers kingdom this season, despite his second-year bias coming off UCL repair surgery.
Purdy completed 19 of his 29 attempts and threw two touchdown passes in the 49ers’ 2023 season-opening 30-7 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Agrisure Stadium.
In the eyes of NBC Sports Bay Area analyst Donte Whitner, the 2022 seventh-round draft pick did nothing to dampen Shanahan’s hopes against the Steelers.
“49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan already has more confidence and faith in quarterback Brock Purdy after nine games than he already has in Jimmy Garoppolo,” Whitner said in a recent “Hittner’s Hot Take” segment. “And this is the reason [Purdy’s] His decision making, his accuracy, his arm strength and his ability to remain calm under pressure. We saw all of this and more in the 49ers’ blowout win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1.”
Purdy made all the right decisions in the win against the Steelers, including hitting Brandon Ayuk for two perfectly thrown touchdown passes, the second a perfect fade route to the side of the end zone.
The 23-year-old squeezed passes into tight windows, and he hit his receivers, helping them do what they do best — run after the catch.
Purdy has now started six career regular-season games and won all of them. In all seven regular season games in which he appeared, he has thrown at least two touchdown passes, tied with Joe Montana and Steve Young for the second-longest streak in 49ers history, behind Jeff Garcia.
With Purdy commanding Shanahan’s offense, Whitener sees big things in the 49ers’ future.
“If Brock Birdy continues to play at this high level, I’m penciling in the 49ers to win the Super Bowl,” Wittner concluded.
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