When Brock Purdy started looking visibly uncomfortable during the fourth quarter of his Week 11 showdown against the Seattle Seahawks, it called the very fate of the San Francisco 49ers 2024 NFL season into question.
That’s right, despite finishing out the game, albeit with an abnormally low stat line, Purdy was ruled out for Week 12 and listed as questionable for Week 13, even if all signs point to a return against the Buffalo Bills in what’s shaping up to be a snowy affair.
Fortunately, every setback has the potential to turn into a comeback if approached correctly, and while talking to the media during his Week 13 media session, Purdy explained how the hit could change his game for the better, as he now plans to take fewer unnecessary hits moving forward.
“For sure. It’s a long game. It’s four quarters. It’s a long season. And so, when it’s second-and-18, just like you said, instead of getting a gain of four and lowering your shoulders and trying to get everything you get and being a competitor, I think it just comes down to the situation and being smart. Not only just protecting myself, but for my team,” Purdy told reporters. “I want to be available to play and compete for my team and my guys around me. So, definitely got to think about all of those things and just be smart. How can I check the ball down, get the ball into a tight end or receiver’s hands, running backs hands as a check down? I’ve definitely got to think about those things. It’s the NFL and I have to learn as we go to be smart and protect my body, for sure.”
Now granted, fans don’t exactly know how Purdy suffered his injury in Week 11, as he didn’t take a brutal hit the same way he has in the past. With that being said, taking a less active role in the run game, at least when it comes to taking hits at the end of plays, could improve the chances of the 49ers having a healthy quarterback on the final game of the year, be that Week 18, or in the Super Bowl.
Brock Purdy earned some clarity during his Week 12 absence
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Elsewhere in his media session, Purdy commented on what he did during his pseudo-bye week and how it could help him out down the stretch. While Purdy did still prepare as usual, he used his time on the bench against Green Bay to take stock of the season and prepare for when he finally returned to the field.
“Yeah. Last week, just sitting on the sideline against Green Bay and stuff, towards the end of the game, it was like, ‘Alright, this is where we’re at and what it’s going to take moving forward and how we have to look at it one day at a time.’ So for me, it was just, it was a good reflection of just how hard the NFL is. A lot of games have come down to the last couple possessions, fourth quarter and it can either go one way or another. And so, we’ve experienced both this year, and you can’t take anything for granted. So started thinking about those kinds of things and more than anything, it’s like you can’t look too far ahead in the future still. We have six games to play and all of our wants and desires and opportunity lay right in front of us. And so it’s up to us. That’s really just what I started reflecting on and where I was trying to get my mind at.”
Could this absence ultimately become a blessing in disguise for the 49ers? Maybe yes, maybe no, but if Purdy is healthy moving forward, it’s probably more of the former than the latter, as he’s already turned one late-season insertion into the starting lineup into a magical playoff run.
