Brock Purdy’s season, much less his career, will not be defined by a 27-yard completion that didn’t even yield a touchdown in a home-opening rout.
But still …
“Yeah, when the game is over, I look back on the film and stuff and am like, ‘Wow, that was a cool play,’ ” Purdy acknowledged sheepishly.
The intricacy required to pull off that pass explains why Purdy is off to such a hot start this fifth season as the 49ers’ quarterback. Overlooked? Underrated? Those are outdated stigmas connected to his Mr. Irrelevant inheritance as the 2022 NFL Draft’s 262nd and final pick.
One play in last Sunday’s 35-13 win over Miami summed up Purdy’s all-around excellence, with a nod to Mike Evans’ duty as a legendary receiver.
San Francisco 49ers’ Mike Evans (5) leaps for extra yards after a catch inside the 10-yard line against the Miami Dolphins in the third quarter at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Here is a 10-step analysis of Purdy’s highlight-reel pass from eyewitnesses:
1. THE SCENARIO
The 49ers comfortably led 28-6 and took possession at the Dolphins’ 28-yard line after Brayden Willis smothered a botched punt by former 49er Bradley Pinion, with 3 minutes, 49 seconds remaining in the third quarter of an eventual 35-13 victory over Miami.
“I definitely saw the next play with Brock. Are you kidding me? It was a great play by them. The funny thing about having those guys on your team, you get to see that in practice 1,000 times. I don’t know how many times I can tell you I’ve seen Brock make that throw or Mike make that play.” – Willis.
2. THE PLAY CALL
Coach Kyle Shanahan dialed up a play-action, naked bootleg for Purdy.
“Yeah. I mean, we had a keeper called, so obviously we’re faking the run and then I’m rolling out.” – Purdy.
San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy (13) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in the second quarter of their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
3. THE FAKE RUNS
Purdy took the snap from under center Jake Brendel and faked a pitch to Christian McCaffrey as the running back and entire offensive line moved to the right, along with tight end George Kittle who went in motion that way. After the play-action fake, Purdy opted against a QB keeper.
“He extended the play. He does it all the time in practice, but not recklessly. I don’t know what I would have done. I probably would have fell on the ground or thrown it away, but Brock is more talented than I am.” – Mac Jones, backup quarterback.
“I wanted to be better at (keepers) this season, so the detail that I go into the play with, knowing, ‘Alright, this can be the look and if this is the case, I have to react this way. If it’s not, keep attacking. And I’ve got to go through my read and all that kind of thing.’ ” – Purdy.
4. THE READ
After faking the toss, Purdy made a U-turn, shuffled left, centered himself between the hashmarks, and pump-faked linebacker Willie Gay Jr. into the air 5 yards in front of him. Then Purdy surveyed the defenders chasing his potential receivers, Evans and Deebo Samuel.
“Yeah, it was not a good look for the play we called. So, you’re already kind of hoping, ‘Brock, don’t make it a bad play’ which he knows that. And he comes out and makes the guy miss. Okay, now we got a chance to do something.” – Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak
“Mike was No. 2 in the progression and Deebo sort of got hung up early, so I got my eyes to Mike and obviously there was a backer out there first so pump faked him, just trying to get some space and create some time to get to Mike and I felt like Mike had a couple steps on the guy. He was running. I felt like it was man coverage. For me, I was like, ‘Alright, I’ve just got to give Mike a chance here.’ ” – Purdy.
San Francisco 49ers’ Mike Evans (5) dives for a first down against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
5. THE RECEIVERS
To the formation’s right side, Samuel lined up in the slot and Evans on the outside. Samuel got delayed once chipped off the snap by defensive end Josh Uche. Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez tightly trailed Samuel’s crossing route. Evans shadowed them 5 yards downfield, then cut deeper once safety Michael Taaffe bit toward Samuel. Evans gained a step past safety Dante Trader Jr., whose outstretched right hand nearly broke up Purdy’s pass.
“It was just cool the way, just the way (Evans) set his angle. It was very easy to read where he was going, which made it easier for Brock to make an almost impossible show. It was a throw he could have no room for error; the guy (Taaffe) would have undercut it. Mike set the angle well and Brock threw a dime.” – Shanahan.
“I know where it was going. I saw it when it was going over my head. If I could have intercepted it, I would have.” – Samuel
“To freeze that linebacker by giving him a quick pump (fake), then I think he had Deebo right in front of him. He could have take a short, safe throw, but he saw Mike Evans. It also helps when your receiver has 35-inch arms, Go-Go-Gadget arms.” – general manager John Lynch, on KNBR 680-AM.
6. THE THROW
After looking to his right on his pump fake, Purdy took five steps to his left, hopped, and fired on target to Evans.
“That guy was coming underneath to undercut the route and the throw and I just was like, ‘Just give Mike a chance and put it on him.’… In the moment, it’s like, how can I do my job, execute, be violent with the throw, execute and finish the drive? That’s what I’m thinking about.” – Purdy.
“The guy running with Mike, it had to be a perfect throw or else it would have been picked and Brock threw a dime. That was awesome. That was a heck of a play by him.” – Kubiak
“It was pretty tight. It was really a perfect ball, for sure.” – Samuel.
“He manages to roll out, pump fakes a guy, keeps his eyes downfield and throws it. Quarterbacks who don’t have confidence aren’t going to make that pass, but he makes it. He sees that Mike Evans is down there, he has a step on the guy, (says) ‘I can make that throw.’ He’s doing it all day. We’ve saw it all throughout training camp and we’ve seen it against the Rams. He’s stepping into throws, throwing deep balls to Deebo, Mike, everybody.” – George Kittle.
San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy (13) salutes the crowd as he leaves the field following their 35-13 win over the Miami Dolphins at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
7. THE LAYER KING
Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris nicknamed Purdy “The Layer King” during training camp, for touch passes just over defenders. Purdy countered by saying quarterbacks coach Mick Lombardi “doesn’t like that word ‘layered.’ He thinks everything should be driven and you throw the appropriate ball.” This 27-yard completion to Evans was not only layered over defenders but driven past them.
“The mindset I have to have is be violent with the throw, be committed to the throw. Obviously, every throw is different. You can have layered throws, touch throws, whatever you want to call them. Then there’s plays where, like the play we’re talking about, where you’re on the move and there’s a guy chasing Mike Evans from the back and he’s trying to undercut this ball. My mindset has to be, ‘Commit to this throw and make it a violent throw, put it on him.’ I feel like that’s something that I’ve learned, I don’t know, within this last year and stuff, having that kind of mindset. There’s a time and place for it, though.” — Purdy
8. THE GRAB
Evans, Tampa Bay’s all-time leading receiver via the past 12 seasons, extended his 35 1/8-inch arms and 9 5/8-inch hands to snare Purdy’s pass in stride at the 10-yard line. Five steps later, Evans careened out of bounds. Cornerback JuJu Brents had broken off his coverage of Jacob Cowing, and from his knees at the 5, Brents swiped at Evans’ right knee to make him off-balance and detour his path to the front left pylon. Evans signaled himself out of the game with a hip issue that kept him from praciting Wednesday and Thursday, and he’s been unavailable for comment this week.
“It was great for him to just keep running. There was a guy chasing him, obviously man-coverage behind him. And so, for Mike to use his length to reach out and get the ball and make a play like that was pretty special.” – Purdy.
“I still think Mike may have gotten in.” Shanahan, who did not challenge the official’s spot that Evans went out of bounds at the 1, setting up Christian McCaffrey’s 100th career touchdown run on the next snap.
9. THE PRAISE
From bosses to teammates to media pundits, Purdy’s pass and overall play drew raves.
“Just physically on the field, I’d say there’s lots of traits he has, but how accurate he is, how good he is at layering the balls over defenders and how well he plays in the pocket.” – Shanahan said of Purdy’s best attributes, outside of his mental capacity, accountability and coachability.
“As the kids say these days, that was ‘sick,’ that was an unbelievable play. The wherewithal. Brock has that instinct. He’s a playmaker. … Very few quarterbacks could have made that play. Very few receivers have been blessed with 35-inch arms to go make that play, and then also have the speed to create the separation.” – Lynch.
“This play is the dumbest play of all-time. Truly, watch this: Boom, then dumbest play of all-time, and then the throw. You can’t coach that. This is one of the sickest plays I’ve ever seen Brock Purdy do.” — former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel on his YouTube channel, “The Breakdown.”
“He’s got Mike Evans on the cross. Tight coverage right here. Look at that ball. Look at the ball, up and over the underneath defenders. Perfect location. Boom. I don’t know, how many guys in this league are making this throw? Very few. That is a big-time throw. Beautiful. I love it.” – Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner on his YouTube channel, “QB Confidential.”
“There’s no quarterback in the NFL playing football the way Brock Purdy is right now.” — ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, who also praised Purdy’s first completion to Evans on their opening drive, when Purdy stopped his rollout and completed a 10-yard, third-down conversion to the Miami 22-yard line. “What? What? This is Mahomes stuff. Allen. Jackson. A handful of guys capable of making them.”
San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy (13) waits for the television reporter to start her interview after their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins 35-13. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
10. THE NEXT STEP
Purdy won NFC Player of the Week honors and has a league-leading 80.4 completion percentage. Signed to a five-year, $265 million extension prior to last season, he is looking to lead the 49ers to a 3-0 start for their third time in four seasons and eventually his fourth postseason in five years.
“Brock’s played at such a high level since his first game versus Miami. So, to say how much better he’s gotten, I mean, you can’t get that much better. He’s been extremely consistent and he gets more comfortable just with everything he’s faced. He’s been in every situation. He’s been comfortable with the offense since the beginning, but just the more you play, the more you see defenses, you see certain fronts, you see disguises, you know what it feels like to be up a lot, to be down a lot. I think Brock learns from every life experience he’s in and that just makes him better as a player and better as a man as he gets older.” – Shanahan.
“It’s not just like I’m out there running random plays. It’s like every play there’s so much thought into what my details have to be, what my fundamentals have to look like, and then from there, go and execute and do it well. So, yeah that was just a play, like I said, where I had to create some time by pump faking that one guy. Mike was screaming across the field, make the throw, and go finish the drive off.” – Purdy.
“He continues to impress us week in, week out.” – Samuel.
“You see time kind of slow down for him. Whether it’s a bootleg and he’s faking a guy out and makes him jump, then continues on and puts a dot on Mike Evans on the sideline. That’s a great play but you don’t understand how hard that is for a quarterback who has so many things going on in his mind, to slow down and make those moves.” – Fred Warner.