According to Kyle Shanahan, Brock Purdy has no reason to be afraid of missing the 49ers’ regular season finale.
Some questioned the wisdom of San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan’s decision to sit Brock Purdy for a meaningless Week 18 finale against the Los Angeles Rams. foremost among them? Brock Purdy in his own right.
The MVP candidate for the 49ers wasn’t sure it was best for him to miss the final regular season game. Purdy acknowledged, “That’s something I brought up to Kyle,” according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Purdy’s fears were allayed by Shanahan’s explanation that the second-year signal caller had not experienced similar layoffs previously.
Purdy calmed by recent history
Purdy, for example, did not play a snap for sixteen days following the team’s preseason finale and their Week 1 thrashing of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Following the Niners’ Week 9 bye, Purdy led the team to a rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars while recording his second-best passer rating of his NFL career.
With San Francisco securing the NFC’s top seed and a first-round bye, Purdy will be out of the game for at least nineteen days. The 49ers won’t play again after Sunday until the NFC Divisional Round on January 20 or 21.
Purdy appeared to find solace in the explanation Shanahan provided. Purdy said, “It feels good to go back and remind myself about that.”
He also understands that in the interim, his teammates will provide him with a lot of difficult practice assignments.
“In addition, I’ll be practicing for a few weeks against a very strong defense, which is obviously our team. It’s not as though I’ll spend the next few weeks doing nothing but lounging on the couch.”
Purdy can relax, for Shanahan is a wise man. as well as his own CV.