San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Brock Purdy made aggressive Giants defense pay in 49ers win

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 9/22/23

The New York Giants decided an aggressive, blitzing strategy was the best way to attack quarterback Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers offense, but the plan backfired big time in a 30-12 loss on "Thursday Night Football."

Purdy wasn't perfect, but he did make the Giants pay when sending extra pressure. According to Next Gen Stats, the Giants blitzed on 84.6% of Purdy's drop-backs and the second-year quarterback was up to the task, finishing 20-of-31 for 247 yards and two touchdowns.

The Giants blitzed Brock Prudy on 33 of his 39 dropbacks (84.6%), the highest blitz rate in a game in the NGS era.

Likewise, Purdy averaged the fastest time to throw of his career (2.34 seconds).

Purdy vs Blitz: 20/31, 247 yards, 2 TD

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— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 22, 2023

Any successful quarterback needs receivers to make him look good, and Purdy had that in spades against the Giants. Six different 49ers tallied at least two catches on Thursday, with WR Deebo Samuel and TE George Kittle combining for 13 catches, 219 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, the 49ers gained 215 of their 310 passing yards after the catch, per Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports.

In total, Purdy went 25-of-37 for 310 yards and two touchdowns. His outing on Thursday night also helped him make NFL history. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Purdy became the third-youngest player to throw for 700 yards, with four or more touchdowns and zero interceptions through the season's first three games. The only two quarterbacks to accomplish the feat at a younger age were Lamar Jackson (2019) and Patrick Mahomes (2018).

Purdy had plenty of help on Thursday night, including from his defense. With each passing week, though, he is proving naysayers wrong. He's not at the level of the elite and he may never be. However, Purdy wins, improving to 8-0 in regular-season starts for the 49ers. As long as he keeps doing that, the noise from the outside won't matter.

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