San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan praised quarterback Brock Purdy after his five-touchdown outing in Monday night’s 48-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
“He did awesome, man,” Shanahan said. “Played really well. I got on him for a couple he missed, but it was pretty close to a perfect game, so he did a hell of a job.”
Hearing Shanahan describe a quarterback’s performance as “close to perfect” is rare. Still, the coach noted that Purdy’s Week 16 showing wasn’t surprising given the consistent level of play throughout his NFL career—more praise for his starting signal-caller.
It’s tough to dismiss what Purdy is doing this season. Since returning from a turf toe injury in Week 11, he has thrown 13 touchdowns and four interceptions while posting a 110.0 passer rating. Purdy’s performance in Indianapolis earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
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Despite Shanahan’s praise, Purdy offered a more restrained assessment of his play against the Colts.
“Yeah, obviously, there’s some missed throws and opportunities, and I want to score a touchdown on every drive,” Purdy said. “So, I’m looking at myself like, ‘All right, how did we not convert there?'”
Purdy wasn’t flawless on Monday night. He threw a fourth-quarter interception, though linebacker Dee Winters quickly got the ball back for the 49ers with a pick-six off Philip Rivers.
Purdy also cited tipped balls and a few high throws as areas he wants to clean up.
“So, there’s still things like that, that you’ve got to clean up and you just want to get better at,” Purdy added. “You don’t want them to come up in another game or in another situation. So, definitely room for improvement.”