Getty San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy
The 49ers and quarterback Brock Purdy will need to be prepared for a physical contest when the Packers visit for the NFC Divisional Round playoff on January 20.
And considering the latest comments from a Packers Hall of Famer, they may need to be extra careful too.
Former Packers tight end Mark Chmura turned heads in a January 17 ESPN Milwaukee radio spot when he called for the team to intentionally hit Purdy late.
It’s an especially sore subject for 49ers fans, who saw their Super Bowl hopes disintegrate when Purdy was injured in last year’s NFC Championship game.
“A 15-yard penalty — and I don’t condone this, but I kinda do in the playoffs — a 15-yard penalty for a late hit on Brock Purdy is not a bad thing, as long as it’s worth it,” Chmura said. “Sometimes, a 15-yard penalty is worth it early in the game if you knock the living crap out of the guy. And then he — kind of like sticking your helmet in the ribs of Nick Bosa — is like, ‘Ahhhhhhhh, I’m hearing ghosts.’”
Chmura’s comments drew some strong reactions on social media.
“What a piece of trash,” wrote Marc Adams of 49ers Webzone.
“Yikes,” wrote the uStadium account on X.
@ESPNMilwaukee lifelong Packer fan here just wanted to say that I hope Mark Chmura is fired for undermining the integrity of both the sport and sports media, and for setting an example that injuring someone is an acceptable intention.
Analyzing the Packers’ Pass Rush
Let’s get an idea of how many opportunities the Packers will have on Purdy. First and foremost, a look at the sack numbers for Green Bay tells us that there isn’t a major mismatch.
According to StatMuse, the Packers have a mediocre pass-rushing unit. The team has 45 sacks on the year, but they aren’t spearheaded by one particular player. Rashan Gary leads the team with 9. But Preston Smith and Kenny Clark aren’t far behind with 8 and 7.5 respectively.
Conversely, Purdy has been sacked 28 times in 16 starts. That averages out to 1.75 a game. All things considered, both the 49ers offensive line and Packers pass rush are middle of the pack.
Another way to get an idea of how big of a problem this could be is penalty numbers. In that category, Green Bay is one of the least penalized teams in the NFL. They average 6.2 penalties per game, 26th in the league.
So it’s not like the Packers have played dirty or pass rush trends that should scare the 49ers. That being said, there’s no doubt the 49ers will be preparing for it.
Brock Purdy Speaks on Tom Brady Motivation
While speculation linked the 49ers and Tom Brady, Purdy’s recent comments confirmed San Francisco was interested in the now-retired QB.
If Purdy’s elbow injury was going to affect him in 2023, the 49ers wanted Brady.
But it didn’t pan out that way. Speaking to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, Purdy explained that it gave him extra fire heading into this season.
“That meant so much to me,” Purdy said. “I remember him saying, ‘if we can get Tom Brady, we’re going to try to get him.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, he’s the GOAT. I get it.’ But something deep down inside me was sort of like, ‘Dude, I just showed you that I can play well in this system. And we were one game away from the Super Bowl.’”
Fortunately for both the 49ers and Purdy, that didn’t happen. Now, the second-year QB is coming off a Pro Bowl nod and looks ready to guide the team through the playoffs.