Tag: brock purdy 49ers

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan should use 21 personnel vs Chiefs

San Francisco 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan can impact the game at the line of scrimmage by using 21 personnel on offense in Super Bowl LVIII.

San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan can impact the game at the line of scrimmage by using 21 personnel on offense in Super Bowl LVIII.

In 21 personnel, the 49ers can deploy either fullback Kyle Juszczyk, running back Christian McCaffrey, or wide receiver Deebo Samuel in the backfield interchangeably. Juszczyk, McCaffrey, and Samuel are all capable pass catchers out of the backfield. Also, Juszczyk is a great run-blocker that should be used as a lead for both Samuel and McCaffrey in the ground game.

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The use of 21 personnel will force Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo out of nickel and dime formations.  While the Chiefs have a terrific secondary, they are allowing 4.5 yards per carry this season on the ground. Shanahan should take advantage.

Shanahan better be prepared for Spagnuolo’s blitz scheme that forced four sacks in the AFC Championship. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy won’t need to be perfect if Shanahan balances the offensive attack. Nevertheless, we have seen Shanahan get pass-happy in the past when the Atlanta Falcons blew a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI.

Ravens HC John Harbaugh gives praise to 49ers QB Brock Purdy ahead of MNF matchup

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh gave praise to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy

On Christmas night, the Baltimore Ravens will face off against the San Francisco 49ers in what should be one of the contenders for game of the year.

Plenty of big storylines are on the table for both teams, including the MVP race, which has likely come down to Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson vs. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy.

The Ravens need to do their best to slow down Purdy and the 49ers’ offense, which has been high-powered throughout the 2023 NFL season. When Baltimore’s head coach was asked about Purdy, he praised the former Iowa State signal-caller, saying he’s an “excellent quarterback.”

“Well, [with] Brock Purdy I see a very good quarterback. He’s playing at a very high level, leading a very high-level offense to great success. He’s playing winning football and operates his style. He sees things. He gets the ball out quick. He can make every throw. He throws a beautiful ball [and] moves around the pocket, scrambles when he needs to, throws on the run when he needs to [and] operates the system really well – all the things that I’m sure their coaches really want to see in a quarterback. I’m sure he’s doing really well. So, for us, it’s just a matter of defending the offense. He’s a part of the offense. They have a lot of good players ,[and] they have a really good scheme, so [we will be] applying our defense and our players, our abilities and physicality and all the other things that we do to try and stop their offense.”

How 49ers rookie QB Brock Purdy can continue his miracle season in the playoffs

49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy enjoyed a regular season that nobody expected. Here’s how he can continue it in the playoffs.

Brock Purdy, also known as “Mr. Irrelevant,” was the very last pick in the 2022 NFL draft. He started the season as a third-string quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, but this weekend, he has a chance to win a playoff game.

Since becoming a starter in week 14, Purdy has been playing better than expected. He’s 5-0 and sitting first in the league in: passer rating (119.0), passing touchdowns (11), passing touchdowns per attempt (8.9%), and passing yards per attempt (8.85).

The first team Purdy gets to face off against in the playoff is a Seahawks team that he is already familiar with; as he beat them 21 to 13 back in Week 15.

Let’s dive into the film and see if the San Francisco 49ers offense has changed since their last matchup; and how Purdy is going to lead the 49ers offense to a win in this weekend’s wild-card round.

49ers QB Brock Purdy might be the most relevant Mr. Irrelevant ever

49ers backup QB Brock Purdy was the final player selected in 2022 draft. But in a win against the Dolphins, Purdy proved to be anything but Mr. Irrelevant.

When you are the final player selected in a draft, not much is expected of you. Through pro football history, the list of last-drafted players — known as “Mr. Irrelevant” for decades — isn’t all that distinguished. You could argue that Tyrone McGriff, the guard from Florida A&M selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 333rd pick in the 12th round of the 1980 draft, was the most successful. McGriff played just three NFL seasons, but he was named to the 1980 NFL All-Rookie team, which is nice. The most successful Mr. Irrelevant in recent years has been kicker Ryan Succop, selected out of South Carolina by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 256th pick of the 2009 draft. Succop is still in the NFL, doing well for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he’s got a Super Bowl ring for his work with the 2020 Bucs.

That said, the most recent Mr. Irrelevant might be the most important to date. San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Brock Purdy, who the 49ers took with the 262nd pick in the 2022 draft out of Iowa State, had himself quite the game on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins after Jimmy Garoppolo exited the game in the first quarter. Garoppolo was carted off the field after he was sacked by Dolphins edge-rusher Jaelan Phillips with 11:22 left in the first quarter, and Purdy — who had completed four of nine passes for 66 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception in mop-up duty San Francisco’s 44-23 Week 7 loss to the Chiefs in his only regular-season action to date — turned things around pretty decisively.

It didn’t take long for Purdy to prove that he could run the offense. With 4:52 left in the first quarter, he zinged this three-yard touchdown pass to fullback Kyle Juszczyk, allowing Purdy to make a bit of pro football history.

Purdy impressed at least one former 49ers defender with some high quarterback standards.

In the end, and in a crucial 33-17 win that pushed his team to 8-4 on the season, Purdy completed 25 of 37 passes for 210 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 88.8.

And with the unfortunate news that Garoppolo’s ankle injury is season-ending, Purdy will become the first Mr. Irrelevant to start a game at quarterback. Next Sunday. Against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Purdy seems unfazed by the idea.

So… yeah. Go ahead and crown him, NFL.