INDIANAPOLIS — After a sequence of disappointing performances on “Monday Night time Soccer,” San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy shrugged off no matter points he’d been having in resounding trend.
With 44-year-old Colts quarterback Philip Rivers and his comeback occupying many of the headlines getting into Monday evening’s matchup, it was Purdy who stole the present in main San Francisco to a 48-27 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Purdy completed 25-of-34 for 295 yards with 5 touchdowns and an interception because the Niners improved to 11-4 and put themselves in place to land the NFC’s No. 1 seed and home-field benefit all through the playoffs.
It was the primary five-touchdown efficiency of Purdy’s profession, and he turned the primary Niners quarterback to ever throw for 5 or extra scores on a Monday evening. He additionally turned the primary San Francisco signal-caller since Steve Younger in Tremendous Bowl XXIX to toss 5 or extra scores in any sport.
“He did superior,” coach Kyle Shanahan stated. “He performed very well. I received on him for a pair [throws] he missed, but it surely was fairly near an ideal sport.”
That has develop into a standard chorus for Shanahan throughout the Niners’ five-game successful streak. In that span, the Niners have gained every contest by double digits and averaged a league-high 34.4 factors.
Since a tough outing in opposition to the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 25, Purdy has locked in, throwing for 9 touchdowns with one interception and posting an 85.7 QBR that’s second greatest within the NFL.
San Francisco’s offense has been so dominant that the crew hasn’t punted in 133 minutes and 35 seconds of sport time. That is the primary time since no less than 1950 that the 49ers have gone two straight video games with out punting, based on the Elias Sport Bureau, and they’re certainly one of six groups to perform that feat within the common season throughout the Tremendous Bowl period.
Purdy’s success after lacking eight video games with an enormous toe harm has the Niners believing he is as near wholesome as he has been all season. On Monday evening, seeing was believing.
“While you’re in that huddle, it is just one voice talking,” left sort out Trent Williams stated. “You’ve got received 10 grown males watching you and you’ll’t idiot grown males. The boldness that he has in that huddle … from A to Z, he does it at a very excessive stage. I say it on a regular basis. He is a godsend.”
Maybe most encouraging was how Purdy did most of his harm. In his first six video games this season, Purdy had two touchdowns and 6 interceptions on passes thrown 10-plus yards downfield.
In opposition to the Colts, Purdy was on time and heading in the right direction whereas taking loads of deep pictures. He completed 12-of-16 for 213 yards and a pair of touchdowns on such throws in opposition to the Colts’ injury-depleted secondary and completed with a season-high 9.4 air yards per try.
That he did it on Monday evening undoubtedly alleviated any fears that Purdy would proceed to wrestle on that stage. In his earlier 5 Monday contests, Purdy threw 5 landing passes and had 11 interceptions because the Niners went 2-3.
Purdy acknowledged after Monday’s win that he had a bent to press in these conditions, relationship to the 2023 Christmas evening loss to the Baltimore Ravens through which he threw 4 interceptions. He stated he has grown since.
“[I’m] not letting the surroundings or the state of affairs of the season and the sport dictate how I’m going out and assume all through a sport,” Purdy stated. “I really feel like proper now, I’ve received to be my greatest one play at a time. That Christmas sport a pair years in the past it was like, ‘Man, we’re on Christmas, Monday evening, MVP speak, like hit a few completions early within the sport and felt good.’ After which after that, I am getting complacent with going by way of my reads and stuff and making the appropriate choices. [I] positively have realized from that, however there’s all the time nonetheless room for enchancment.”
As has been the case usually this season, the 49ers did not depart Monday’s sport with out harm questions. Tight finish George Kittle was within the midst of a 7-catch, 115-yard, 1-touchdown efficiency when he departed within the third quarter with an ankle harm.
Kittle stated he first injured the ankle earlier within the sport on what he believed was a hip-drop sort out and although he tried to play by way of it, the ache received to some extent the place it not made sense to proceed. He’s set for additional exams when the crew returns to the Bay Space on Tuesday.
“I do not assume it is a excessive ankle sprain,” Kittle stated. “We’ll take it at some point at a time, and we’ll go from there.”
The 49ers flip their consideration to internet hosting the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks to shut out the common season. Wins in each video games would safe the No. 1 seed within the NFC playoffs and the postseason would undergo Levi’s Stadium, dwelling of Tremendous Bowl LX.
It is one thing that appeared far-fetched for the Niners solely about six weeks in the past however that now’s inside attain, albeit in opposition to tougher competitors.
“When you already know you are within the playoffs, you shift your objectives subsequent and that is making an attempt to make the playoffs one of the best state of affairs you probably can,” Shanahan stated. “We would like to attempt to play a house sport at Levi’s. We knew the one method to try this was to win tonight versus Colts. We received that executed.”
