Brock Purdy silenced doubters, transforming into a game-deciding force with 295 yards and three touchdowns, igniting the 49ers' playoff hopes.
We asked for it, and we got it: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy elevated his performance and went off against the Tennessee Titans. And now his 49ers looked primed for a postseason explosion as we near the NFL playoffs.
Heading into the game, we'd seen mostly pedestrian showings from the talented but still adjusting quarterback in his first couple of games back from injury.
We noted that passing performances in the 170-yard range were not going to make much of a difference in postseason matchups and could limit the Niners' ceiling. Purdy responded with a well-above average performance on Sunday.
The Niners signal caller went from game manager to game decider on Sunday. He completed 23 passes on 30 attempts for 295 yards and three touchdowns. Purdy would finish the day with just under a perfect quarterback rating with 151.39 and a completion percentage of 76.7%. That'll do.
It wasn't just Purdy's passing game that proved valuable on Sunday. The quarterback averaged 6.3 yards per carry with seven rushes for 44 yards.
While Purdy certainly exploded offensively, he had some help from an unexpected player. Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall caught six passes for a team-leading 96 yards on the day. Tight end George Kittle followed Pearsall with eight receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown grab.
San Francisco wide receiver Jauan Jennings caught the remaining two touchdown receptions on three catches for 37 yards. While the two-score performance was an excellent boost for the team, some are still uncertain where he fits in the Niners future plans perhaps because of the lack of receptions in relation to what he might ask for in his next contract.
49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey had a quiet game on Sunday. McCaffrey rushed for just over 3.3 yards per carry with his longest run going for just nine yards. He finished the game with 22 carries for 73 rushing yards and one reception for 14 yards. That was all that was required for the Niners on the day.
Ultimately, more important than anyone else who did or did not have an impressive showing was the fact that the team's quarterback looked more like himself on Sunday. Facing a team like the Titans can certainly make a quarterback look good. Even so, Purdy was as productive and efficient as anyone could have hoped for in the game. The Niners can enter the postseason with confidence in their leader.