SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Kyle Shanahan speaks clearest and most profoundly together with his play calls and recreation plans. The 49ers’ offensive coronary heart, soul and conscience are all bared proper there, each weekend, by means of his headset and onto the sector. There isn’t any hiding from that, and Shanahan doesn’t need to conceal from that.
And what occurred within the 49ers’ playoff opener Saturday towards a Seattle protection clearly geared to cease the run? Loads occurred. Everything essential occurred if you would like to perceive what’s happening with this staff because it prices towards subsequent weekend’s divisional spherical and past.
Shanahan referred to as for rookie Brock Purdy to throw a move on the primary play (wild incompletion with a moist ball), the second play (19-yard completion) and the fourth play (incompletion), referred to as for Purdy to throw a lengthy lateral on the fifth play (7-yard achieve) and throw a move on the sixth play (incompletion) on the 49ers’ approach to a area objective for the primary factors of the sport. Then Shanahan saved calling move performs — 19 within the first half alone, in contrast to simply 9 runs.
It wasn’t dominant immediately, however the tone of this 41-23 wild-card-round victory at Levi’s Stadium was set. The proof was inescapable. This is the way in which for the 49ers proper now, on this postseason and perhaps for a lot longer than that. They’ll face both the Vikings (in the event that they win Sunday) or the winner of Monday night time’s Tampa Bay–Dallas recreation (if the Vikings lose). And whoever it’s, the staff that performs the 49ers will know they’ve obtained to determine how to beat Brock Purdy.
It’s not that Shanahan will ever abandon the run, and actually, things obtained balanced fairly rapidly within the second half (the 49ers ended up with 33 runs and 30 passes). But now the 49ers can go to a full-tilt air assault if they need to. And they variety of need to.
In Purdy’s first playoff recreation and simply his sixth NFL begin (and this grew to become the primary playoff victory for a rookie QB since Russell Wilson in 2012), Shanahan put the sport in his fingers and was fairly completely satisfied to stick with that for a lengthy whereas. Because it was working, particularly towards a Seahawks protection that was stacking the road of scrimmage.
“I think they were trying to take away the run, but we came out firing,” fullback Kyle Juszczyk mentioned. “And definitely some meat left on the bone, but still just explosive plays all day. I understand what their plan is, we’ve got a rookie quarterback and we’ve got a heck of a run game. I’m sure they’re trying to make him throw the ball. I’m sure that’s everybody’s plan.
“But I think he’s proven that’s fine. We can make some big plays in the pass game.”
The Purdy household 🙌 @brockpurdy13 pic.twitter.com/sjVGrVGG4p
— NFL (@NFL) January 15, 2023
This is the way in which now for the 49ers as a result of Shanahan has a lot religion in Purdy, who missed a few throws early (when it was raining flippantly) however saved hitting performs all recreation, together with seven move performs of longer than 15 yards. On the day, Purdy was 18-for-30 for 332 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 131.5 passer score; he additionally ran 4 instances for 16 yards and a TD.
“It would be easy for (Shanahan) to say, ‘All right, let’s keep trying to run the ball, let’s get 3 or 4 yards and just manage this thing,’” Juszczyk mentioned. “I think he has that confidence in Brock that he can make plays himself.”
Of course, Shanahan famously let Jimmy Garoppolo throw it solely eight instances within the 49ers’ NFC Championship Game victory over the Packers in January 2020. Before that, Garoppolo threw it simply 19 instances within the divisional-round victory over the Vikings.
This isn’t a knock on Garoppolo; the 49ers received these video games, that’s what mattered. But the purpose is, that is a complete new factor right here. Purdy has proved he can deal with extra duty than Shanahan has trusted to any 49ers QB in six seasons, and it’s solely constructing.
“Felt that way from the beginning, once he got into that game versus Miami, when we didn’t have the luxury to sit there and worry about stuff the way the game was going,” Shanahan mentioned. “We just had to call plays to try to win the game, and he did such a hell of a job. And he’s done it every time since. Got a lot of confidence in him and gives us more and more confidence each week.”
And Purdy retains doing a little extra every week. He’s displayed spectacular elusiveness over the six video games he’s performed since coming in after Garoppolo’s harm in that Miami recreation. But on Saturday, the efficiency expanded exponentially — Purdy zigged and zagged away from stress a handful of instances, main to huge performs, a couple of TDs and, most significantly, zero horrible losses or turnovers.
“A couple of those touchdowns, I think it’s something I’ve done my whole life in terms of finding a way when it’s not there,” Purdy mentioned.
Purdy’s greatest improvisation really got here on an incompletion within the fourth quarter, when he ran virtually to the left sideline after which raced the total width of the sector, pump-faked a Seahawks defensive lineman after which threw a laser to Brandon Aiyuk in the long run zone. Aiyuk couldn’t corral the ball, but it surely was fairly the exclamation level.
Yeah, his teammates have observed.
“It’s great to see the things he does back there, his little slitheriness getting out of stuff,” extensive receiver Deebo Samuel mentioned. “It kind of makes us a little tired; we’ve gotta run around, too, try to get open. But it works.”
Last week, in a recreation towards the Cardinals, Shanahan watched Purdy run round and into a 17-yard sack that took the 49ers out of area objective vary and mentioned he was yelling at him virtually instantly about it.
Kyle, you simply noticed it actually work on this recreation, are Purdy’s prolonged scrambles OK now?
“No,” Shanahan mentioned with a deadpan shake of his head.
But …
“He was great on some,” Shanahan mentioned. “That last one was very close, it was unbelievable the throw he made to BA in the corner. I know he just missed that. But he’s got a feel for it. He definitely makes me nervous on some of it. But he did a hell of a job getting away. He knows his body … tries to never give up on a play. And he’s been very smart with the ball so far.”
It was all sufficient to catch the eye of a moderately notable NFL fan.
PURDY GOT GAME!!!!!!!!!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 14, 2023
“LeBron said that?” Purdy mentioned when he was instructed of the tweet, trying genuinely thrilled. “Aw, that’s great.”
Said offensive sort out Trent Williams: “I love the fact that Brock is getting the attention he deserves. He is a good player, man. And I think anybody who watches football can see that. I’m not saying that he’s the next Aaron Rodgers or Pat Mahomes, but he does everything that we need him to do and more. I think we can continue to win with him, obviously.”
It didn’t all go completely. But the 49ers’ veterans preferred every part they noticed from Purdy, when things have been damp and barely disappointing at first after which once they scored 25 consecutive factors to begin the second half.
Typically, Purdy primarily blamed himself for the 49ers discovering themselves down 17-16 going into halftime regardless of outgaining the Seahawks 249-176 to that time. That occurred as a result of the 49ers had to settle for two quick area targets on drives into the purple zone, and a few defensive breakdowns all of the sudden gave Seattle a lot of life.
“Coming into halftime, Kyle was straight up, he was, ‘Hey man, the plays are there, the opportunities are there; we’ve just gotta keep it simple and get it to the guys,’” Purdy mentioned.
The response: The 49ers went on 13-play TD drive instantly after getting the second-half kickoff, concluded by Purdy himself on a 1-yard sneak. Then Charles Omenihu stripped the ball from Seattle QB Geno Smith on the following possession and Nick Bosa recovered. And the rout was all of the sudden on.
In center of that spree, Purdy maneuvered round and located Elijah Mitchell wide-open in the fitting flat for a 7-yard landing. Purdy’s first learn was Aiyuk on his left, however Aiyuk was lined. Then Purdy obtained some stress, rolled to his left, felt extra stress, so he stepped again to the center and flipped it to Mitchell in the fitting flat. Easy TD.
Then got here this:
341 complete yards. 4 complete TDs.
Playoff Purdy in full impact.#SuperWildCard #NFLPlayoffspic.twitter.com/IQVcd9TAJS
— NFL (@NFL) January 15, 2023
At the time, it virtually regarded like Purdy began throwing it to Mitchell earlier than he even turned all the way in which towards him. Which Purdy principally confirmed. Instinct, each methods. Which is why he mentioned he was celebrating so uproariously.
“Just a broken play,” Purdy mentioned. “I was trying to go left to BA and go through my progressions from there. It just broke down. Elijah did his job in terms of staying in protection, and if he had time he could get out. He was my last read. Front side just broke down. When I scrambled, Elijah was where he needed to be.
“And that’s why I was excited. I had that trust in him to be here, and same for him in myself. Just a huge part of the game, to create momentum, just a big play for everyone and a big moment for everyone.”
The moments are getting larger for the 49ers. Their rookie QB positive isn’t shrinking. If something, he’s getting higher. It’s proper there on the sector. It’s taking place.
GO DEEPER
Thompson: The Seahawks struck first, but Deebo Samuel struck the loudest
(Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
