When the San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy first went down with a devastating season-ending injury last term, there was doubt as to whether or not he would be able to start the new campaign for the Niners. Well, on Sunday night, not only did he play, but the 23-year-old also came out with a magnificent season debut for San Francisco in their 30-7 demolition job of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Brock Purdy Plays Down San Francisco 49ers’ Statement Win Vs. Steelers
The Niners started off the game with a 54-yeard drive to open the scoring. At that point, Purdy knew that it was going to be a good day:
“I was just excited that we put that (opening) drive together,” Purdy said, via Kirk Larrabee of the 49ers Webzone. “Everything was sort of clicking. Defense did their thing. We put a drive together and to cap it off like that to start the season off, I was like, yeah, it’s going to be good.”
San Francisco just never took their foot off the gas. For his part, Purdy finished with 19-of-29 passing for 220 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. It was pretty much everything the 49ers could ask for from their new cornerstone quarterback in his first game back from a significant injury.
For his part, though, Purdy wasn’t even thinking about the injury. He had already gotten past it, and he was able to put it behind him quickly. This young man has some pretty big expectations from himself, and he isn’t going to let a major hurdle get in his way:
“I mean, honestly, not really,” Purdy said. “I think (that happened) more in camp and stuff I felt like that. I feel like right there in that moment, it was like, this is what we’re supposed to do. This is what we expect us to do, expect out of ourselves. And once I hit that touchdown, I wasn’t thinking (about) surgery or anything like that. It was, man, we’re here to win. This is it. This is how we’re going to play. And that’s where I was at mentally.”
Kyle Shanahan, Nick Bosa React to Brock Purdy’s Season Debut
After the game, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan sounded off on Purdy’s season debut. The San Francisco shot-caller spoke on Purdy turning the ball over in the third quarter via a Pittsburgh strip sack. Other than that, though, Shanahan believes that it was a noteworthy effort from his young stud:
“I thought Brock had a good game, made some big plays, got some explosives there in some tight windows,” Shanahan said. “We had some issues in protection — not just issues — we knew that going in. Hope he can hold onto it when those do happen just so we don’t turn it over and fumble. But I thought Brock had a hell of a game.”
Niners star defensive lineman Nick Bosa was also left impressed by Purdy’s strong start to the new season. In fact, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year believes that Brock “shut some haters up” with his eye-opening outing against the Steelers:
“You definitely need to prove people wrong and show that you’re the same player (after an injury),” Bosa told reporters after the game. “And I’m just happy he got an amazing recovery. I think it was quicker than anybody expected, so he was able to get reps throughout the offseason, and he’s definitely a good leader for us.”
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