The return of Purdy
Quarterback Brock Purdy made his return to the field on Sunday after missing six weeks with a toe injury. He looked like the back who helped carry the 49ers to the Super Bowl, going 19-of-26 for 200 yards with no interceptions, finishing with a 133.5 quarterback rating.
Teammates praised Purdy’s return to the huddle, complimenting his poise, the audibles at the line, and his presence in the pocket. According to Next Gen Stats, Purdy averaged a 3.33-second time to throw against the Cardinals, his fourth-longest in his career.
On passes with over a 2.5-second time to throw, Purdy completed 15-of-22 passes for 161 yards and all three of his touchdowns. Despite his long time to throw, Purdy faced just a 25.0 percent pressure rate, tied for the 4th-lowest rate in his career.
The biggest help to Purdy downfield was tight end George Kittle, who had one of his better games of the season. Kittle brought in all six of his targets for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Both touchdowns came on downfield throws over 10 air yards. It was Kittle's second game of his career with multiple TD receptions on targets over 10 air yards.