The San Francisco 49ers are entering a much-needed bye week at 4-4, coming off a 30-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys, which has placed them in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC West.
San Francisco hasn’t looked nearly as clean as they’d have liked to on both sides of the ball through the first half of the season, which has prompted some new elements to evolve.
A big part of that has been the ascension of a number of rookies into meaningful roles due to injuries on both sides of the ball, but even the stars of the team have seen a shift in their roles at times this year.
One of those examples? Quarterback Brock Purdy and his scrambling ability, which has been on display throughout the year as the 49ers signal-caller has looked to take his game to the next level.
Purdy’s time to throw this year is at 3.08 seconds, which is the second-most of any starting quarterback this year, trailing only Minnesota’s Sam Darnold.
That’s a stark difference from his 2023 rate of 2.88 seconds, which ranked in the middle of the NFL. But, it hasn’t really been due to the offensive line, who have put up respectable pass-blocking rates thus far this season.
Instead, it’s been more so because of how opposing defenses have countered the 49ers offense without Christian McCaffrey, even rushing only three at times, which has given Purdy more time in the pocket to create and extend plays.
As a result, Purdy has relied more on his rushing ability, scrambling at least four times in each of the past six games, which included eight carries for 56 yards and a touchdown this past weekend.
With the 49ers needing a spark, the quarterback really started to take off in the third quarter, using both his legs and his arm to score 21 straight points and take a three-score lead.
“It just adds another tool,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said about Purdy’s scrambling ability. “It’s really tough, the heat of battle, just with all those plays and situations that you get sometimes where if the guys aren’t opening things, that the play is over. Or just when someone misses in the pocket and someone gets there, it usually ends fast. But Brock’s got the quickness to get away from people, he’s got a kind of feel on when to hit it. He was awesome today with his scrambling and he’s been awesome all year with it.”
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy gave credit to the 49ers quarterback for his ability to make plays, which changed the direction of the third quarter, and as a result, the entire game.
“We let some of these quarterback runs slip away but shout out to [49ers QB Brock] Purdy,” McCarthy said after the game. “He’s a great athlete. He made some plays today. Everybody made some plays, and we’ve just got to go back to the drawing board and make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
Has Purdy noticed a difference in how teams have defended his rushing ability?
“In some scenarios. I mean, there’s teams that have a spy on me and stuff,” Purdy said. “I feel like Kansas City did that, honestly the Cowboys did it as well. So, like there’s ways that they can scheme that up, but then I think it takes away another pass rusher so that I have a little bit more time. So, there’s pros and cons to all of it. Defenses pick and choose and when they want to do it. Obviously we still have a lot of play makers to be able to win in man coverage, whether there’s a guy spying me or not. It’s football, you’ve got to compete and go from there.”
The 49ers are expecting running back Christian McCaffrey to return after the bye week, which should help create a big spark for the offense. But, Purdy’s rushing ability will also be a big factor in the second half of the season, as he continues to elevate the team’s offensive ceiling.
