San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had an opportunity to silence his critics on Sunday, facing the Kansas City Chiefs without many of his key offensive weapons. Christian McCaffrey remains sidelined as he recovers from Achilles tendinitis, Jauan Jennings missed the game with a hip injury, and Deebo Samuel was limited due to illness. To add to the team's woes, top wideout Brandon Aiyuk suffered a season-ending ACL and MCL tear.
Despite the chance to prove himself, Purdy couldn't quiet those who continue to argue that he's merely a product of the system and the talent surrounding him. Missing several of his playmakers, he threw three interceptions and finished with a passer rating of 36.7, his lowest as a starter.
"I think I've just got to play better for sure just with my throws and some decisions," Purdy said after the game. "That's pretty simple. I've obviously got to watch the film and stuff, but my instant reaction is, I've got to play better."
NFL legend Tom Brady was on the call for FOX for the Week 7 matchup between the 49ers and Chiefs. Before kickoff, NFL analyst Brian Baldinger, who called the game on national radio for Compass Media Networks, caught up with the seven-time Super Bowl champion to get his thoughts on Purdy.
"Well, I think that [Brady] thinks he's got some restrictions with his arm," Baldinger said Tuesday morning on Bay Area radio station 95.7 The Game. "He's got some restrictions with his size—you're at 6-1."
While Purdy's physical traits might be a concern, his game certainly has positives. Although Sunday's performance certainly didn't highlight most of them, overall, Purdy has been impressive in his three NFL seasons.
"[Brady] likes his ability to move," Baldinger continued. "He likes his ability to process, but the arm's never going to probably get stronger. He does have good instincts. I asked him, 'Can you coach pocket awareness?' He's like, 'Absolutely not.' He goes, 'Either you have that or you don't. I think he's got that.'
"But his physical prowess, he's not going to get any faster, he's not going to get any taller, his arm's probably not going to get a lot stronger. So that's what you have to work with. So there's some limitations."
Baldinger noted that while Purdy's arm strength may never rival Patrick Mahomes, nor will he develop into a quarterback who can make every throw, his pocket awareness is on par with that of the Chiefs' star quarterback.
So, how did Baldinger assess Purdy's performance on Sunday? Unsurprisingly, it wasn't a glowing review.
"He looked off from the very beginning," Baldinger remarked. "I haven't really seen him play like that. Now, I think I've seen every one of his games and watched and studied every one, but they just looked flat as a group. But he's got to be the leader.
"And just talking to Brady, I know he's not in love with him, but then to see him live like that, I'm sure he wasn't very complimentary with some of the things that he did in that game."
Despite the rough outing, Baldinger doesn't think it's all doom and gloom for the 49ers. He wouldn't be surprised to see Kyle Shanahan's squad make a strong second-half push, especially with McCaffrey's return. He anticipates the team making a move before the trade deadline to bolster the injury-depleted roster.
"They've got some guys that are playing really well, defensively, right now," Baldinger added. "Deommodore Lenoir is as good as it gets at that slot corner position right now. He's a playmaker. [S Malik] Mustapha, he just pops every time you watch him. You've got some young guys that are playing really good football right now. I think getting [LB] Dre [Greenlaw] back, at some point, is going to help.
"I feel like this is a team, like the Rams, that has a chance to get really good the second half of the season, when they get some of these guys back."
You can listen to Baldinger's entire interview below.