49ers’ Kyle Shanahan Makes Bold Claim on Brock Purdy After Big Win

For 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, being asked to pick the traits of quarterback Brock Purdy that most suit his offense has to be a bit like a dad being asked which of his children is his favorite. But when Shanahan was asked that in his postgame press conference after the 49ers’ 45-29 Week 15 drubbing of the Cardinals, he played along.

He even threw in a bold statement on Purdy, saying he has not been around such a prolific playmaker of a quarterback in his career, which has seen him coach the likes of Kirk Cousins, Matt Ryan and (ahem) Jimmy Garoppolo.

Said Shanahan of his favorite Brock Purdy trait: “That he can see the whole field. There’s nothing that he can’t do. He has a poise out there that you can see, he can react—when he doesn’t have time for stuff, he can react and get it to his checkdown so he doesn’t have to take a sack. Or he creates something off-schedule.

“He has command of our offense, just running it but also the amount of plays he makes throughout these two years has been as many plays as any quarterback I have ever been around on how much he does.”

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Brock Purdy Threw for 4 Touchdowns

It was a good day for Shanahan to be asked about his favorite Purdy trait, of course. All Purdy did in Arizona was go 16-for-25 passing with 242 yards and four touchdowns, posting a quarterback rating of 135.3, the fifth time in the last six games he has logged a rating of 120 or higher.

Purdy had a brief scare with a stinger in the second quarter and had to leave the game for a few plays. But he returned to throw a touchdown pass. And by the end of the game, fans in the stands—Purdy has family in the area—were chanting his name.

“I bet that was real cool for him, at the end of the game to be able to hear that,” Shanahan said. “It was cool for me to hear for him. I know he has got a lot of family out here, I didn’t even realize it until these last couple of days. You just get caught up in how the week is. But when he told me he had some guys coming, that’s always cooler when you can play like that, especially with the scare with the injury. But to finish the game with people chanting your name is about as cool as it can get.”

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Kyle Shanahan, 49ers Focused on Playoff Bye

With the win, Brock Purdy and the 49ers wrapped up the NFC West title for the second straight season and, at 11-3, remain the leader to lock up the No. 1 seed in the conference. Dallas’ loss to Buffalo knocked them back to 10-4, and Philadelphia plays on Monday night against Seattle—with quarterback Jalen Hurts questionable because of an illness.

The 49ers have a tough matchup against the Ravens on Christmas, and will play the 7-7 Rams and the 4-10 Commanders to end the season.

“I know the guys are pumped about it but now our biggest thing is making sure we got two home games and try to get a bye. That’s what we are focused on now,” Shanahan said.

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