Crawl out from under your Alcatraz rock if you haven’t noticed this is an election year. With election years come wild claims requiring skilled fact-checking. And thanks to 49ers flagship station KNBR, we now know whether quarterback Brock Purdy was telling the truth following San Francisco’s 30-13 win over New England on Sunday.
Purdy was 15 of 27 for 288 yards, throwing one interception and getting an incredible touchdown catch from George Kittle. Purdy has always showed a knack for escaping pressure and creating downfield plays. He’s also flashed remarkable speed and quickness.
In the first quarter on Sunday, for example, he converted a pair of third-down scrambles over the 49ers’ 15-play, 90-yard scoring drive. No doubt, Mike Shanahan noticed that quickness when he encouraged the team to keep Purdy in its building two years ago.
But Purdy seemed to have consumed one too many Ghirardelli chocolates when, after the win, he claimed to have just the right amount of athleticism to move and make plays. Asked to elaborate, Mr. Irrelevant bragged that he owns mathematical locker-room bragging rights on Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel.
“Yeah, I mean I think my 10-yard split, just to give you guys some perspective, is faster than Christian’s and Deebo, I think. You guys can fact-check me. But that’s what I mean. I think I just have enough to get out of the pocket and make a play — pick up 5, 7 yards here or there.”
Wait, what? Is Purdy’s 10-yard burst indeed faster than both the reigning NFL rushing champion and one of the NFL’s best-conditioned athletes?
Roll the tape, KNBR.
Now that Purdy’s claims are settled, and San Francisco secured a healing win during a difficult two-month stretch, the 49ers (2-2) can prepare for a brutal October. Their next month starts at home with Arizona (1-3), followed by a road trip to Seattle (3-0) and Levi’s Stadium games against Kansas City (4-0) and Dallas (2-2).