Quarterback Brock Purdy had a solid performance in the 49ers’ 30-23 victory over the Rams on Sunday.
He finished 17-of-25 passing for 206 yards with a rushing touchdown on a QB sneak at the end of the first half.
But Purdy’s day could have been excellent if he’d connected with his receivers on some deep shots.
The quarterback had Brandon Aiyuk open down the field in the first half. In the second, he had Deebo Samuel open deep over the middle then missed another to Juaun Jennings. All three passes were overthrown, which Purdy took accountability for after the game.
“Those are on me,” Purdy said, via Kirk Larrabee of 49erswebzone.com. “I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to hit them in stride and not overthrow them. Simple as that.”
Purdy noted that he’s hit those deep balls at practice.
“It just comes down when the bullets are flying, being able to make an accurate throw and not overthrow them. Don’t underthrow them, but just be on point,” Purdy said. “And so that’s what you got to do as an NFL quarterback, and I take that on myself.”
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said that while San Francisco would’ve liked to hit those deep attempts, he liked that Purdy wasn’t really risking a turnover.
“The main thing he did today was protect the ball,” Shanahan said. “Besides those three misses, which none of them were easy, but he took care of the football, didn’t give them a chance to touch it. And when he was under duress, he was smart.”
Through two games, Purdy has completed 67 percent of his throws for 426 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions — good for a 102.9 passer rating. Purdy is still undefeated as a starter in the regular season, winning each of his first seven starts.
