For the first time in his NFL career, Brock Purdy has made multiple turnovers in a row after throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble in the 49ers’ 31-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
Purdy completed the game 22 of 31 for a career-high 365 yards passing, but in the second half, with the 49ers down by one score, he threw two costly interceptions.
After the 49ers’ third straight loss, head coach Kyle Shanahan hailed Purdy’s performance against Cincinnati, highlighting his game-changing interceptions.
“Made some poor decisions towards the end,” Shanahan informed the media. “I believed that he played a part in our participation in the game today. There were some incredible throws that he made. The worst error was missing the hand off in the red zone. Once you make that kind of mistake, you can’t throw the ball again or you’ll get penalized, which is worse than having the interception. He was aggressive and believed the linebacker was going to pass at that very moment, but Jauan Jennings and the mike both fell off, so Purdy just got to witness it.
Purdy entered the NFL’s concussion protocol this week, but Shanahan stated he didn’t think the quarterback’s performance on Sunday was affected by any lingering issues. Shanahan went on, “Purdy wouldn’t have been allowed to play if he had any symptoms.”
In response to the question of whether Purdy was as good as usual, Shanahan cited the expensive errors made by his quarterback in spite of a few standout plays.
“I mean, he had those turnovers but made some really good plays in the game,” stated Shanahan. “When it came down to it there at the end, and we were getting a little one-dimensional, especially that pick when we were backed up in the negative red zone, that was the worst one.”
Purdy had a scorching start to the season—he had not intercepted a pass through the first five games—but during the 49ers’ current three-game losing streak, his turnover percentage has increased dramatically. Purdy has thrown five interceptions in those three games, all of which have been returned for touchdowns.
Purdy’s NFL career-high 365 throwing yards against the Bengals was one of many aerial victories for the 49ers, whose offense averaged 11.8 yards per pass attempt.Any positives from this effort, though, were swiftly eclipsed for the second straight week by two turnovers in crucial situations.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who was taken by the 49ers with the 262nd and final choice of the 2022 draft, complimented Purdy for his on-field performance and his mindset as an NFL underdog in remarks he gave to reporters on Wednesday.
Burrow added, “He’s entertaining to watch.” You can see he studies and knows where he’s supposed to go with the football since he makes a lot of plays and is accurate with it. He’s entertaining to watch and is playing incredibly well.
“He approached it appropriately. His body language on the field is something I constantly observe, and in many circumstances, he exudes calmness, coolness, and collectedness. It’s encouraging to watch a young player who was selected with the final choice in the draft be thrust into the fire so quickly and perform so well for his team.”
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told reporters that while he didn’t make a thorough study of Purdy prior to the selection last year, he thinks the second-year NFL quarterback has performed admirably under head coach Kyle Shanahan’s scheme.
“He performed admirably. Has performed incredibly well,” said Taylor. “You speak about intent once more; he is aware of it. His degree of toughness is outstanding, and he throws with great anticipation.
Once more, I’m simply trying to figure out what they’re hoping to get out of the plays they have and keep them on track. The other day against Minnesota, he made some crucial plays with his feet. It was exciting to watch him toss the ball down the field, believing his teammates to be in the windows. He has demonstrated that he is a very skilled player in this league by doing an excellent job of carrying out that approach.”After spending the majority of the week in the NFL’s concussion protocol, Purdy passed the last test on Saturday and will now officially start at center for San Francisco on Sunday
Purdy and the 49ers will try to win against Burrow in order to get back on track after suffering back-to-back defeats. Swift
