SAN FRANCISCO – The 49ers had a lot of fun during their 37-24 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, with much of the excitement stemming from Brock Purdy’s wild scramble in the third quarter that led to San Francisco’s fourth touchdown of the afternoon.
Purdy weaved his way in and around several Titans defenders before finding a lane near the left sideline and scampering 26 yards, a play that was punctuated when Purdy made a ball-fake move on Titans linebacker Cody Barton.
The play had the Levi’s Stadium crowd rocking, and the ball-fake had many fans and some of Purdy’s teammates chuckling — although the quarterback later acknowledged it was a move he regretted.
“Honestly I thought it was dumb, the whole ball thing at the end,” Purdy said after the game. “I was like, bro, what did I just do? In terms of just running down the sideline and scrambling and making a play, it obviously felt good.
“I’ve played against Cody Barton multiple times, and I respect him, and he’s a great player, so for me to do that like, I was like, ‘Bro, I’m sorry.’ Stupid in the moment. I don’t know why I did that.”
Purdy’s scramble stood out for several reasons.
While the 49ers easily handled the Titans, the game had a slow, dragging feel to it despite San Francisco scoring four touchdowns and a field goal on its first five possessions of the game.
That had the crowd in a feel-good mood that elevated to ecstasy following Purdy’s scramble, and the run was clear evidence that the toe injury which forced the signal-caller to miss six games earlier this season no longer is a hindrance.
“I was totally cool with him going,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Being protected right there, you get as much as you can. That was a huge explosive to get us going,”
Not everyone was completely comfortable with the play.
Left tackle Trent Williams admitted he got a little nervous when he saw the franchise quarterback running, but added “that just adds a different dynamic to the offense.”
Tight end George Kittle, always the jokester in the locker room, poked fun at the way Purdy carried the ball on the longest running play by a 49ers player this season and the longest by a quarterback in the Red and Gold since Colin Kaepernick had a 30-yard run in 2016.
“He’s a Jesus Christ lizard running on water. No ball security, fake pitch at the end … Absolutely diabolical behavior by our QB1,” Kittle said. “But I love it. As long as he’s running out of bounds I don’t care, just don’t get hit.”
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