{"id":16388,"date":"2024-12-09T06:50:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T06:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=16388"},"modified":"2024-12-09T06:50:58","modified_gmt":"2024-12-09T06:50:58","slug":"how-brock-purdys-big-speech-and-elite-play-fueled-a-massive-49ers-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=16388","title":{"rendered":"How Brock Purdy\u2019s big speech and elite play fueled a massive 49ers win"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"HeaderDefault_content__9tW93\">\n<p class=\"HeaderDefault_subhead__R1SRt\">Both Purdy and Deommodore Lenoir spoke the 49ers on Saturday night \u2014\u00a0and their words had a lasting impact.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"HeaderDefault_imageContainer__OyR5b\">\n<div class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/content.sfstandard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/gettyimages-2188922887.jpg?w=3840&amp;q=75\" alt=\"A football player in a red and gold uniform, wearing a helmet, is handing off the ball to a teammate. Another player is visible in the background.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>It had been some time since 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan had asked his players to speak at the team meeting the night before a game.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen he was first starting off, he would have one of the vets talk about things that were important to them and why they play the game,\u201d said tight end George Kittle, who\u2019s been with the 49ers since 2017 \u2014\u00a0also Shanahan\u2019s first season. \u201cBut he hadn\u2019t done that in a while.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Things changed Saturday night. The 49ers were reeling at 5-7. Their season was on the brink. So Shanahan picked cornerback Deommodore Lenoir and quarterback Brock Purdy to deliver words to their teammates.<\/p>\n<p>A day later, after Sunday\u2019s 38-13 thrashing over the Chicago Bears, several of those 49ers wouldn\u2019t stop talking about the duo\u2019s message to the team.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeeing that, it was like, \u2018All right, our back is up against the wall,&#8217;\u201d 49ers safety Malik Mustapha said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to treat every one of these games like a playoff game. We have guys who are able to lead a group of men. And that\u2019s the biggest thing. Because this is a brotherhood at the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mustapha said that Lenoir implored the team, which had been blown out in consecutive games at Green Bay and Buffalo, to show true grit. The rookie then lauded Purdy\u2019s message, emphasizing that it carried extra gravitas because of the accomplishments of the player who has delivered it.<\/p>\n<p>Purdy, an MVP finalist in 2023 and the NFL\u2019s most efficient QB ever since he entered the league in 2022, had just delivered one the best games of his sparkling young career. He finished 20-of-25 for 325 yards \u2014 good for an NFL-best 13 yards per attempt \u2014\u00a0against Chicago\u2019s pass defense, which had entered the game ranked No. 5 in expected points added.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Elite performance from Brock Purdy. Nearly 1 expected point added with every drop back and +20.2 completion percentage over expectation (!!) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/10tVRWyoUI\">pic.twitter.com\/10tVRWyoUI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LombardiHimself\/status\/1865908669147418906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 8, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBrock, breaking us down, taking charge \u2014\u00a0Brock has solidified himself on this team,\u201d Mustapha said. \u201cHe\u2019s been a leader, a great player. And he will be for years to come.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was special for both of those guys to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And it was special to see the 49ers again perform at a level that they had reached in years past \u2014\u00a0but not yet during this vexing 2024 season.<\/p>\n<p>Statistically, the first half was actually the most dominant 30 minutes of football in Shanahan\u2019s tenure. The 49ers out-gained the Bears 320 yards to 4. Purdy averaged 13.4 net yards per pass attempt, while Chicago rookie QB Caleb Williams \u2014\u00a0due to yardage lost via sacks \u2014\u00a0was at negative-0.5 net yards per pass attempt.<\/p>\n<p>The 49ers entered the locker room leading 24-0 against a Bears team that had come within three points of the NFC-leading Detroit Lions in its previous outing. The 49ers \u2014\u00a0who remain down two games but not out of the NFC West race \u2014 ultimately sealed a muscle-flexing win that set the table for an electric Thursday night pairing against the Los Angeles Rams, who outlasted the Buffalo Bills in a 44-42 barnburner.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMomentum is contagious, not just on the offense, but all three phases,\u201d Shanahan said. \u201cPsychology is contagious. You try to think like one and play like one and I felt that today from our team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It all started with a renewed sense of purpose from the 49ers offense, which marched 70 yards in just five plays to grab a lead the team wouldn\u2019t relinquish. Shanahan and Purdy refocused on the short passing game, which had languished earlier this season after having been the bread and butter of the attack in years past.<\/p>\n<p>Purdy opened with a 7-yard out to receiver Jauan Jennings. He followed with a check-down connection to rookie running back Isaac Guerendo \u2014\u00a0who replaced the injured Christian McCaffrey in the lineup \u2014 that went for 23 yards. That moved the chains and set the table for a new play that the 49ers had just installed in the days leading up to the game.<\/p>\n<p>It was a screen pass to the left from Purdy to Kittle, who rumbled 33 yards behind a convoy of three offensive linemen to set up Jennings\u2019 first of two touchdown receptions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey run a lot of \u2018pirate\u2019 stunts with defensive ends,\u201d Kittle said of Chicago\u2019s aggressiveness. \u201cWe knew if we could catch them in one of those off a screen, they would be completely out of wack.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shanahan had entered last week\u2019s snowy defeat at Buffalo having called the fewest screen passes in the NFL. That, in conjunction with the 49ers\u2019 last-place ranking in yards after the catch (they\u2019d ranked No. 1 in YAC over Shanahan\u2019s first seven seasons), was emblematic of a flailing offense that seemed to be held together mainly by sensational off-schedule deliveries from Purdy.<\/p>\n<p>Shanahan needed to rediscover the short game to build a more sustainable attack, and that was on display through two early screens to Kittle that set Purdy up for precise throws to all parts of the field. Kittle finished with six catches for 151 yards shortly after his mother, Jan, had predicted on the field during pregame warmups that he\u2019d rack up 150 yards on the day.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom knows best,\u201d Kittle said, smiling, in the locker room.<\/p>\n<p>The 49ers defense, which had posted some of the NFL\u2019s worst numbers over the preceding two weeks, matched the offense\u2019s intensity. Safety Talanoa Hufanga, making his first appearance since Week 3, seemed to provide a key boost. Hufanga played with a club to protect the surgically repaired ligament in his right wrist. He replaced Ji\u2019Ayir Brown as the starter next to Mustapha and made several early plays that embodied the toughness Shanahan wanted to see out of his team.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s very rarely some special words that change how guys play,\u201d Shanahan said. \u201cBut we did talk about the importance of this. Regardless of the result, I wanted to make sure we came out and showed grit, showed fight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Purdy embodied that in multiple ways. Toward the end of his big game, a high hit from Bears defensive lineman Darrell Taylor bent Purdy\u2019s neck backwards. The contact drew a personal foul flag. For what seemed like an awfully long while to the Levi\u2019s Stadium crowd, Purdy didn\u2019t get up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was sort of in shock,\u201d Purdy said. \u201cI had to let myself cool down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He eventually jogged off the field. After missing just one play, Purdy trotted back out there. The whole stadium began chanting his name.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust hearing them have my back like that was pretty cool,\u201d Purdy said.<\/p>\n<p>The 49ers had the game in hand by that point, and it was fitting that Purdy heard the chant of encouragement to close it \u2014\u00a0because he had delivered the inspirational words that fueled this performance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was trying to keep it real and remind guys that this isn\u2019t easy, this job isn\u2019t for everyone,\u201d Purdy said of his Saturday speech. \u201cBut who we have in this building \u2014\u00a0we have what it takes. We\u2019ve shown that the past couple years. We just have to dig deep and find ourselves. I think we did. I think guys responded to it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReally, I was talking to myself, too \u2014\u00a0not just trying to preach to the guys, but reminding myself how hard this is and how you\u2019ve got to be a competitor for all four quarters and go and take it. Nothing\u2019s ever given to you. Reminder to myself and my teammates about where we\u2019re at and where we\u2019re trying to go. We all feel it, man, we\u2019re all trying to win for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Said Kittle: \u201cThe message was we need to play with more of a sense of urgency and play desperate. That desperation fuels guys in different ways. It\u2019s how you channel that energy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday, the 49ers channeled it masterfully. But they now only have three days before Thursday, when an encore will be needed against the Rams. The pressure only intensifies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur mindset is the biggest thing,\u201d Purdy said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to clear this, not get too high on it, learn from it and come ready Thursday. It\u2019s a 0-0 game and a clean slate.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Both Purdy and Deommodore Lenoir spoke the 49ers on Saturday night \u2014\u00a0and their words had a lasting impact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":16391,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Brock Purdy\u2019s big speech and elite play fueled a massive 49ers win - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=16388\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Brock Purdy\u2019s big speech and elite play fueled a massive 49ers win - 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