49ers proud of Purdy after slow start vs. Eagles: ‘We've got his back'
49ers proud of Purdy after slow start vs. Eagles: ‘We've got his back' originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
PHILADELPHIA — The 49ers struggled in the first quarter of their 42-19 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, but Brock Purdy’s teammates shared that the quarterback and the offense never doubted themselves.
Through the first quarter of the game, Purdy and the offense were going backwards with minus-six yards and only six plays on the stat sheet. Christian McCaffrey had yet to carry the ball, and not one receiver had recorded a reception.
Then, the offense put its foot on the gas and never let up. Purdy finished the night completing 19 of his 27 pass attempts for 314 yards, four touchdowns and a 148.8 passer rating. The Iowa State product got all of his playmakers involved, connecting with five different receivers -- including Deebo Samuel, who caught all four of his targets for 116 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
“Nobody was frustrated,” Samuel said after the game. “Nobody was too high or too low. We know what we are capable of, and just had to get to doing what we do well.”
Brandon Aiyuk hauled in a team-high five receptions for 46 yards and the first touchdown of the game, which opened up the floodgates for the rest of the offense to put together six consecutive touchdown drives. The wide receiver never lost confidence in the offense or Purdy despite a sluggish start.
“I think we just started out slow, trying to figure out the game,” Aiyuk said. “But after that, even though we were trying to figure stuff out, there was a feeling of, ‘We will.’ ”
McCaffrey carried the ball into the end zone for the 49ers' second score and finished the night with 17 carries for 93 rushing yards, and three catches for 40 receiving yards. McCaffrey shared that there were no words spoken by the offense during the slow start, but rather an understanding that they simply needed better execution.
The All-Pro running back believes Purdy deserves credit for the unit's turnaround in the second quarter.
“That’s a guy who can do anything,” McCaffrey said. “We are so lucky to have him as our quarterback and just proud of everything he’s done and the resiliency that he plays with. He doesn’t flinch and goes out there and is a good leader.”
Jauan Jennings was the fourth player to reach the end zone on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Purdy in the 49ers' first drive of the fourth quarter. The physical receiver is not surprised at all by the calmness of his quarterback, as well as Purdy's bounce back from a slow start.
“That’s Brock Purdy being Brock Purdy,” Jennings said. “That’s what we tell him every week. We’ve got his back. He’s earned the role that he’s got, and we are going to continue to have his back each week.”
The 49ers will take Tuesday off before preparing to host the NFC West-rival Seattle Seahawks in Week 14 at Levi's Stadium.
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