Why Purdy believes he ‘let the team down’ in 49ers’ loss to Rams originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA – The Los Angeles Rams scored six touchdowns in a shootout victory over the Buffalo Bills four days earlier.
On Thursday, the 49ers kept the Rams’ high-powered offense out of the end zone.
It still wasn’t enough for the 49ers, as their streak of 102 consecutive games with at least one touchdown was broken.
And quarterback Brock Purdy placed the responsibility on his own shoulders.
“I just feel like I had a lot of plays left that I could have made for our team,” Purdy said in the aftermath of the 49ers’ 12-6 loss that effectively eliminated them from the playoffs.
“I thought the defense and special teams played so well. And that’s what hurts me, I just feel like I let the team down. I could have been better in our attack and we could have gotten more points.”
Purdy completed just 14 of 31 pass attempts for 142 yards with no touchdowns and one costly interception in the fourth quarter.
Three of Purdy’s four lowest passing yard totals came in his last four starts, as the 49ers lost for the fourth time in five weeks and fell to 6-8 on the season.
“I had to be better for this team and I didn’t play my best tonight,” Purdy said.
Purdy targeted Deebo Samuel with seven pass attempts. Samuel had three catches for just 16 yards. A potential touchdown eluded Samuel when he dropped Purdy’s perfectly thrown pass on a post pattern from the Los Angeles 29-yard line in the third quarter.
“I feel like if I make that play, we win the game,” Samuel said.
Purdy said: “We obviously wish we had made a few more, and wished I had been a little more accurate on some of those throws.”
Purdy’s biggest mistake came on a second-and-10 situation with the 49ers trailing 9-6 with 5:20 left in regulation.
Purdy took a chance with a deep shot for Jauan Jennings. The pass was knocked down and Rams cornerback Darious Williams made the interception in the end zone.
Coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t necessarily disagree with Purdy’s decision, based on what he saw the moment he sent the ball flying down the field.
“Jauan stuttered and the guy (Williams) bent his feet a little bit, and so Brock surrendered and tried to give Jauan a chance,” Shanahan said. “And when Jauan went out, he bumped into him a little bit, which slowed Jauan down, and then there was just the turn. So it was an unfortunate match.”
Purdy explained why he attempted the throw. But he also understood why he shouldn’t have taken the opportunity on a second-down play when the 49ers were on the edge of field goal position.
“I thought we had the right look with the corner off and thought we were going to get it and just then try to be aggressive and give JJ a chance and then I released the ball,” Purdy said.
Purdy said it’s a situation where he can learn to “just be smart” and check the ball to an underlying option.
The 49ers will miss the postseason for the first time since the 2020 season. Purdy holds herself accountable. He promised to end the season ‘on the right foot’.
“That’s what comes with playing quarterback and being in this position,” Purdy said. “You gain confidence that you have the ball in your hands and that you are making the right decisions at the right time. That is something we will certainly have to learn from in the future.”
Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast
