San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had his worst NFL game on Monday night against the Baltimore Ravens, throwing a career-high four interceptions in the 33-19 defeat. Acknowledging his mistakes, Purdy admits he may have been overly aggressive in an attempt to turn the tide of what had become a one-sided battle.
This setback serves as a valuable learning experience for the second-year quarterback, who has seen considerable success since becoming the 49ers' starter just over a year ago.
"That's something that I have to grow in, in terms of, you make some big plays and stuff, but every play has a life of its own," Purdy shared with reporters on Thursday. "Whatever play is next, you got to play the play the right way, not just feed off the emotion and everything that you felt from the previous plays. So that's something that I had to learn the hard way."
Purdy is navigating the process of finding the perfect balance required to play quarterback in the NFL. While he aims to make sound decisions, he understands that sometimes, circumstances necessitate being more aggressive. Monday night may have been an example of how these tough decisions can backfire, contributing to Purdy's ongoing learning curve.
"The games that I've played in, there's a fine line of obviously ripping something that's [in a] tight window or tightly contested, but at the same time, being smart with the ball in the situation of wherever the game is at," Purdy explained. "And so for myself, I've played in enough games where I think I understand when and where I can be aggressive and take a chance, take a shot, and when I should progress, check it down, throw it away, those kinds of things.
"It's a situational kind of thing, and football is a game of situations, and so that's where I have to grow and continue to bank on experiences that I've gone through. But at the same time, being a quarterback in the NFL, you got to be able to take some chances and some risks and some windows at the right time, and that's what I'm learning right now."
Against the Ravens, things may have snowballed for Purdy. He sought to make big plays while avoiding additional turnovers, further burying his team against a formidable opponent.
"It's a sucky state of mind to be in, but that's like the learning experience of going back and just taking it and saying, Every play has a life of its own," Purdy shared. "You have to take it one play at a time and not try to win the game by a couple of big plays. And when I'm thinking like that, I just wasn't in the right state of mind towards the end when we're trying to get back into it."
The Christmas night matchup with the Ravens carried extra hype. It was an opportunity for Purdy to help his team inch closer to clinching the NFC's top seed and home-field advantage. The primetime setting, with nearly 28 million viewers, intensified the game's significance for Purdy.
"And so for me, it's a great learning experience just in terms of not buying into what's going on around and what's being said," Purdy admitted. "Instead, executing in the moment, making the right reads, being consistent, protecting the ball, all those things. It's such a good learning experience. And it's not to say I'm going to be perfect moving forward. It's football, man, you're not perfect.
"But for me, I think it was huge just in terms of being a quarterback in this league. When things are going well, people can say some great things, and it's easy to buy into it a little bit. But you got to put your head down, go to work, have that chip on your shoulder still, and still prove to yourself that you got to continue to show your teammates that you're the guy week in and week out. So definitely something for me to learn from."
