The 49ers quarterback had his first four-interception game on Christmas.
It’s safe to say it was a tough Christmas for Brock Purdy, who had a four-interception outing against the Baltimore Ravens in a 33-19 loss, which dropped the San Francisco 49ers to an 11-4 record this season.
In the game, the 49ers came out aggressive, looking to throw the ball early and often, and saw success, getting into Ravens territory on all three of their opening drives.
However, the Ravens were able to hold the 49ers to three points on those three drives, forcing a field goal and two interceptions, including one in the red zone.
While it’s up to interpretation on how many of Purdy’s interceptions were truly his fault, the game was, undoubtedly, a learning experience for the second-year quarterback, who just turned 24 years old on Wednesday.
“Yeah, [the learning experience] is huge for me,” Purdy said on Wednesday. “The whole season building up to what they’re saying is a huge game on Christmas, Monday Night Football and all that. It was a big game. So for me, it’s a great learning experience just in terms of not buying into what’s going on around and what’s being said.”
While the mistakes were inopportune, Purdy hasn’t, quite frankly, gone through these moments that often over his sophomore campaign.
Now, with the issues in his hindsight, Purdy is hoping to use the learning experience as an advantage for the stretch run of the season.
“Instead, executing in the moment, making the right reads, being consistent, protecting the ball, all those things. It’s such a good learning experience,” Purdy said, reflecting on his performance. “It’s not to say I’m going to be perfect moving forward, it’s football, you’re not perfect. But for me, I think it was huge just in terms of being a quarterback in this league.”
In a way, it was a humbling experience for Purdy, who had been at the center of the MVP conversation over the 49ers’ six-game winning streak.
Now, after a performance like Monday’s, Purdy will look to go through his usual routine and continue proving that he’s the guy.
“When things are going well, people can say some great things, and it’s easy to buy into it a little bit,” Purdy acknowledged. “But you’ve got to put your head down, go to work, have that chip on your shoulder still and still prove to yourself that you’ve got to continue to show your teammates that you’re the guy week in and week out. So definitely something for me to learn from.”
While I don’t think Purdy has been swept away by the MVP hype, the humbling experience can be good for him going forward.
Now, there’s not nearly as high of an expectation from the quarterback on a national scale at the most important time of the season, which can allow Purdy to settle in and finish the year strong.
About the Author: Insidethe49
