The Los Angeles Rams hope that Week 1 brings a coming out party for Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald, and their new-look defense.
One man stands in the way. Brock Purdy is the last quarterback you want to face if planning to fill up the box score with sacks.
Purdy—while still trying to prove he belongs in the NFL’s elite—is a unique challenge for defenses. He holds the ball longer than most and somehow is still rarely sacked. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), out of all quarterbacks that meet the 2025 20% dropback threshold, Purdy boasted the lowest pressure-to-sack ratio at just 9.0%. Purdy, Bo Nix, and Caleb Williams were the only signal callers in the single digits. The NFL average is in the high teens.
More impressive is the fact that Purdy also had the fourth-longest time to throw at 3.23 seconds. Williams was a tick longer at 3.24 seconds. This is the modern prototype—extend to help receivers and avoid negative plays.
So if you think that Garrett and Donald are going to feast against a lesser talented 49ers offensive line, you may want to reconsider.
And, strangely, the Rams do not know Purdy well. He’s played just three games against the Rams: one in 2023 and two in 2024. Mac Jones started both games against LA last season. It’s rare to have such a lack of familiarity for an entrenched starter within the division.
But Purdy isn’t exactly superman. There are ways the Rams can get the better of him. It will simply take more than a strong pass rush to get the job done, and this is where LA has historically come up short against the 49ers.
Don’t expect to see much of a deep passing game from Purdy and San Francisco.
Purdy was the sixth-least aggressive signal caller in terms of attempts aimed more than 20 yards down the field last season, comprising 9.9% of his passes. He completed just 18 of 34 passes for 514 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions. Purdy’s turnover-worthy play rate of 17.6% on deep balls was the second-worst behind only Tua Tagovailoa.
The 49ers will probably limit how often they ask Purdy to push the ball downfield—especially against an aggressive pass rush. LA can turn the table by building a lead early and forcing San Francisco’s hand. Win on first and second down to put him behind the chains on third and long. They cannot allow Purdy to protect a lead. If and when Purdy does throw downfield, the secondary must capitalize on opportunities for takeaways.
The ideal scenario is that the Rams are able to paint Purdy into a corner and ask him to win the game with his arm. Kyle Shanahan will have a smart script. LA must get him out of it.
The Rams’ defense is built for a different type of quarterback than Brock Purdy. It will be a unique challenge for LA’s new-look unit. Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald, and Trent McDuffie can get the job done. It just may look different in the season opener than it does against others over the rest of the year.
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