Brock Purdy breaks down touchdown thrown on Patrick Peterson in press conference
So much for Steelers defensive back Patrick Peterson getting an interception. Prior to Sunday’s season opener, the new Pittsburgh cornerback said he’d record a pick against the 49ers because of “tendencies” in the offense. Instead, San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy showed up the defender.
Purdy ended Sunday’s game completing 19-of-29 passes for 220 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 30-7 win. One of those strikes — a 19-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk — came against Peterson.
After the game, Purdy said that one felt pretty sweet.
“The second touchdown on the right side, the deep ball, was that on Patrick Peterson?” Purdy asked. “Yeah, that one, I was like, ‘Alright, that felt good.’ But, it was good. He’s a competitor. I’ve got nothing but respect for Patrick Peterson and everything that he does.”
In the All Things Covered podcast, Peterson said he had plenty of respect for Kyle Shanahan’s scheme and Purdy as a quarterback. But he did say that the team had some “tell” signs offensively.
“There is some tell signs out there that tells us what plays we’re gonna get from those guys in certain situations,” Peterson said. “When I get my pick Sunday we’ll talk about it.”
Guess we won’t talk about it.
Upon hearing about Peterson’s prediction, Purdy remained pretty modest. Although, we can’t help but think it probably motivated him heading into Week 1.
“I don’t really know what to say about that. He’s a good player,” Purdy said. “Patrick Peterson’s a great player. Grew up watching him and everything. I was obviously from Arizona, he played for the Cardinals and stuff, so. Yeah, it’s the competitive nature of football, so, we’ll see.”
Safe to say Purdy won this round.
Brock Purdy makes NFL history
It hasn’t taken Purdy long to make NFL history. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the former Iowa State standout became the first quarterback in league history to win each of his first six starts in the regular season, while throwing at least two touchdown passes in each game.
As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also the first QB in NFL history with a passer rating of 95 or higher in each of his first six starts. Not bad for a former third-string quarterback.
It’s been quite the journey for the young quarterback, going from “Mr. Irrelevant” in the 2022 NFL Draft to setting league records. Could he be the next Tom Brady?
OK, it’s probably too early to make that comparison.