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Brock Purdy gave a masterclass – a sign of his growing maturity in high-pressure situations – as San Francisco 49ers passed in front of the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football.
Purdy finished 25 of 34 for 295 yards with five touchdowns and an interception as the Niners won 48-27 at Lucas Oil Stadium to improve to 11-4 for the season.
The 25-year-old became the first San Francisco quarterback to throw five touchdowns in a game since Steve Young in Super Bowl XXIX.
Purdy hasn’t always been at his best on MNF, throwing five touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his previous five appearances, with the 2023 Christmas Night loss to the Baltimore Ravens being particularly disappointing.
“[I’m] “I don’t let the environment or the situation of the season and the game dictate my thinking throughout a game,” Purdy said. “I feel like right now I’ve got to be my best, one play at a time. That Christmas game a few years ago, it was like, ‘Man, it’s Christmas, Monday night, MVP talk, like getting a few passes early in the game and I felt good. And then after that, I start just going through my reads and stuff and making good decisions. [I] I certainly learned from it, but there is always room for improvement.
Shanahan hails Purdy as ‘great’
Purdy appears to be shifting into high gear heading into the playoffs.
“He did a tremendous job,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “He played very well. I followed him for a few [throws] he missed, but it was pretty close to a perfect game.
Win them both and they’ll get the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and have the added benefit of knowing they would be home throughout the playoffs, with Super Bowl LX also taking place in their home of Levi’s Stadium.
“When you know you’re in the playoffs, then you change your goals and you try to make the playoffs happen in the best possible situation,” Shanahan said. “We would love to try to play a home game at Levi’s. We knew the only way to do that was to win tonight against the Colts. We did that.”
Rivers swim against the current
Purdy’s effort overshadowed a strong performance from Colts quarterback Philip Rivers.
The 44-year-old, who came out of retirement two weeks ago, has not yet won on his return but still dazzled with 277 yards and two touchdown passes.
“There’s no prize for losing,” Rivers said. “But, once again, it was better this week from an offensive point of view and [putting] points on the board. But you have to win. … At the moment we are not succeeding and I know this locker room is suffering. Once again, I have been part of it for a short time, for two defeats. And I know it’s been a long slide for over a month now, and I know it’s hard.
“But we just have to find a way to dig deep and find a way to win a football game.”
