SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 25: Pete Carroll, head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, sees action during a game against the New Orleans Saints at Lumen Field on October 25, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abby Parr / Getty Images)
The legend of Brock Purdy grew in his playoff debut.
Purdy continued his stellar performance as he led the San Francisco 49ers to victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Saturday’s first-round playoff matchup. The seventh-round pick completed 18 of 30 passes for 332 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and one rushing score.
Purdy escaped the pressure throughout the game, being sacked just once at Levy’s Stadium. To ESPN’s Nick WagnerSeahawks head coach Pete Carroll reacted to Purdy’s evasiveness, comparing him to a Hall of Famer.
Carroll said, “Brock Purdy did a really good job of staying alive. I don’t know why we couldn’t fire the guy.” “We followed him everywhere. He’s not famous for being the greatest scrambler, but he looked like Fran Tarkenton out there today.”
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who scored a 74-yard touchdown during a dominant second half, praised his quarterback’s schoolyard style.
“It’s great to see the things he’s doing out there,” Samuel said. nbc sports, “You get the feeling he’s been sacked, and his little slips to get out of stuff, it tires us because we have to run around, as well as try to stay open. It Works, so as long as Brock’s doing his job, we’re going to ride with him.”
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said that Purdy’s scrambling makes him “nervous” at times, but added that the 23-year-old quarterback is “very smart” with the football.
Purdy had 13 rushing yards the entire season before gaining 16 Saturday. Since taking over for Jimmy Garoppolo, he has thrown 16 touchdowns in seven starts, all 49ers victories.
When San Francisco hosts the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional Round next week, it will attempt to translate that slippery style into another playoff win.