One of the big things of note has been San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s huge night in the 48-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Arguably the best game of his career. Purdy went 25-34 (73 percent completion), 295 yards, and five touchdowns.
In other words, Purdy went Al Bundy. Yes, I know Bundy was a running back, but I don’t care. Four or more touchdowns in a single game is called going Al Bundy in these parts.
But the thing is, Purdy threw six touchdowns. One of them didn’t count. In the 49ers’ final scoring drive, Purdy hit Jake Tonges for what should have been the touchdown. Except it was ruled incomplete without a review.
It’s no big deal. Because Purdy just threw another touchdown pass on the very next play to Christian McCaffrey.
It’s fair to point out this IS what good teams do. If they get hosed by a bad call, they overcome it. The 49ers overcoming it the very next play is something next-level, but it remains an excellent example regardless.
But poor Jake Tonges. That’s his thanks for recovering a fumbled kickoff earlier in the game: a touchdown that won’t exist. A touchdown, the officiating crew didn’t even bother reviewing.
Kyle Shanahan didn’t bother either.
“I did consider it,” Shanahan said. “I was a little reluctant about the information I got earlier. But I was thinking about it.”
Shanahan’s information sources may need to be reviewed. Earlier in the game, Shanahan challenged a clear Michael Pittman catch for reasons. It was obvious that most fans knew it was going to fail the moment the red flag flew.
“I didn’t know Brock was going to go quick count,” Shanahan said when elaborating why a flag wasn’t thrown. “I’m sure Jake’s upset with me, but it ended up all right anyway.”
Brock Purdy’s stat line shows five touchdowns thrown. Not even an asterisk will show his sixth touchdown to Jake Tonges.
Regardless, the 49ers remain in control of their destiny. While the defense has had its issues with the loss of Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, and others, the offense has become lights out. Before Purdy, the last two quarterbacks on the 49ers to throw five touchdown passes? Joe Montana and Steve Young. The latter did it 30 years ago in a Super Bowl win.
If Brock Purdy can continue to play like he did Monday, the 49ers don’t need their defense to be elite. They just need Brock Purdy to keep doing what he’s doing, even when he doesn’t have his weapons in Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk.
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