It’s a rare thing for a quarterback to be an afterthought in an NFL game.
But that’s what 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was Monday night in Santa Clara.
As the 49ers and backup tailback Jordan Mason ran left, right, and center on the New York Jets, Purdy — who finished in fourth place in league MVP voting last season — was relegated.
Don’t make presumptions about that status, though. Monday was nothing like the run first, second, and third games of 49ers eras past — games where head coach and offensive play-caller Kyle Shanahan lost all faith in his quarterback’s ability to throw the ball.
No, this was no Jimmy Garoppolo game.
Purdy, in fact, turned in a sterling performance on Monday.
The Niners could have thrown the ball all over the field — Purdy went 19-for-29 for 231 yards against the Jets. And that doesn’t include a 13-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk that the receiver dropped in the corner of the end zone.
“A dime,” Aiyuk called the throw after the game.
There were quite a few of those from Purdy on Monday, even if the one that will stick in the memories of football fans was a drop.
Purdy was 6-for-10 for 53 yards on third downs in the contest, picking up five first downs in the process. After the Niners opened with a three-and-out, they scored on eight consecutive possessions.
That’s exceptional situational football.
And if someone wants to call that “game management,” sign the Niners up for five (yes, I said five) months of it.
That kind of management wins games.
Had the Niners truly been singular on offense — all run, no pass — the Jets, as feeble as they were made to look on Monday, would have been able to adjust. Those safeties would have creeped towards the line of scrimmage, the linebackers wouldn’t be backing the line — they’d be on it.
But Shanahan’s playcalling and Purdy’s execution kept the Jets honest.
It kept the Jets’ defense — so lauded last season — down.
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The perfect example of this came on the Niners’ longest play of the day, a first-and-15 play in Jets territory on the opening drive of the third quarter.
The Niners lined up in an I-formation — Purdy under center, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, and Mason behind him. A classic, punch-you-in-the-mouth football formation. Old school.
The Jets saw a run coming. Why would they expect anything different given the situation? Mason had gashed New York for 85 yards on 14 carries at that point in the game — a cool six yards a rush.
But Shanahan had a different plan. As Juszczyk ran into the B gap, looking like a lead blocker heading towards creeping Jets safety Ashton Davis, who was playing as a strong-side linebacker, Purdy faked the handoff to Mason.
Juszczyk just kept running.
By the time Davis realized he’d been duped, Juszczyk was already three yards behind him, and free safety Chuck Clark couldn’t make it over in time. Seeing it all the way, Purdy threw a casual 33-yard rainbow ball on the money to his fullback, who was tackled at the 2-yard line for a 34-yard gain.
Mason ran it into the end zone two plays later, and the game was over at 23-7.
The Niners no doubt left points on the board on Monday. Jake Moody kicked six field goals, after all.
But they didn’t leave those points on the field, and a perfect play—one the Niners had been setting up all game—with perfect execution ensured that.
That’s the fabled “complementary” football coaches always want. That’s trust between a head coach and a quarterback, even if it wasn’t flaunted on national TV.
“I thought he made some big-time plays,” Shanahan said of Purdy after he was finally asked about his quarterback on the 12th question of his post-game press conference Monday. “He was very smart with the ball and made sure that there was no chance for them to get back into the game.”
“There’s a sense of urgency I think we can be a little bit better with,” Purdy, who is always in self-deprecation mode, said. “I think we found that as the game went on, but [I] definitely feel like we could all still be better.”
And they can.
But that doesn’t mean Monday was a bad performance, by any stretch, from the Niners’ 24-year-old quarterback.
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Purdy went toe-to-toe with supposedly one of the best defenses in the NFL. He wasn’t the main story, but he was good for 0.27 expected points added per play — an elite mark.
He also went toe-to-toe with one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.
Aaron Rodgers might look like a shell of his former self at age 40, but was there any doubt who the better quarterback was in Monday’s contest?
It was Purdy. It wasn’t even close.
And don’t be surprised if that’s the case time and time again this season.
