Four days before his comeback, Brock Purdy sounded like a quarterback itching to be turned loose. The 49ers passer, out since Week 1 with what he called a “turf toe variation” in his right big toe, said there was no need for surgery and that he felt “really good” heading into Week 11 against the Cardinals, per ESPN.
Purdy stressed it was all about being physically ready to “go out and lead,” insisting his return was driven by health, not politics, after Mac Jones had kept San Francisco afloat at 6-4.
Now that he is back, his teammates are making it clear what that means for the rest of the league.
“We’re positioned right where we want to be,” George Kittle said after Purdy’s return. “Our offense is basically healthy — right where we want to be at. If we can just keep rolling, keep making plays… I think it’s just a very lethal offense.”
For a unit finally close to full strength, that sounded less like optimism and more like a warning.
Christian McCaffrey went even further in describing Purdy’s performance, as noticed by The San Francisco Standard.
“He was vintage Brock, and that’s a huge compliment,” McCaffrey said. “He was poised, made some great plays, made some huge third-down throws, kept us in the game, was smart the whole game. To miss games like that is really hard. To be out that long and come in and do what he did today is extremely impressive.”
Coming from the star running back, it framed Purdy’s day as a return to the standard he had set before the injury.
The 49ers’ handling of his rehab underlines how fully they still see him as their QB1. As Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reported, San Francisco “scrapped the idea” of using Purdy as the No. 2 in Week 10 against the Rams, deciding that when he was ready to play, he would go straight back into the starting lineup.
Jones, who has thrown for 1,832 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions in seven starts, did enough to keep them in the race, but the plan was always for Purdy, who has 586 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions in his two appearances this season, to reclaim the huddle once his toe allowed it.
Put together, Kittle’s “lethal offense” talk, McCaffrey’s “vintage Brock” praise, and the organization’s refusal to treat Purdy as a backup all point in the same direction.
San Francisco believes its ceiling is tied to a healthy Purdy running a fully stocked offense, and after his impressive return, the 49ers sound like a team that feels their real season is just beginning.
