A total of six points San Francisco 49ers rallied in the first half against the Dallas Cowboys.
This offense did not fare well against an average Dallas defense. Brock Purdy is at the forefront of this problem. He struggled mightily in the first half with several inaccurate throws and misreads. It didn’t look good at all for the 49ers, with Purdy playing at a low level.
Fortunately, he bounced back in the second half and looked like the good defender he’s used to. Purdy led the 49ers in scoring three times coming out of halftime. He was pressing the whole game and didn’t put as much pressure as he did in the first half.
“There were definitely missed opportunities,” Purdy said. “Obviously for the big plays, but in general, it’s just finished in the first half, especially the third half. So for me, I was honest with myself and I knew I had to be better, especially for our team. That’s what the defense did. It was a great job in the first half and for us, I feel like we’re stuck on third downs, and I’ve had a lot of that.
“I came in at halftime, just talked about our plan for the second half and I thought, ‘I’ve got to go back to the basics and just keep things simple in my mind and still play with confidence but be aggressive and aggressive. I only trust my boys.’ So, I thought we went out and did a lot better.”
This is a great answer from Purdy. It’s amazing to see how much he takes responsibility for his poor performance. But what makes this answer great is how revealing it is. Purdy seems to be putting too much pressure on himself.
Maybe that’s why he holds the ball for a long time. He tries to look for intermediate to deep shots. He leads the league in throws down the middle of the field. He also leads the league in passing yards, so Purdy will try to play the spread.
However, short passes were what made the 49ers click in the second half. Purdy chose those options, not longer. He allowed his skilled players to do something with the ball in hand. That’s part of why the 49ers are last in the league after the catch.
Purdy isn’t going to get the ball in his receiver’s hands and let them work. Instead, he tries to go for the big game. He was able to reassess and trust his teammates, he admitted. With Christian McCaffrey out, you have to wonder if he’s getting pressure.
McCaffrey has been a part of every start with Purdy, so with him, Purdy will try to compensate as the chain mover that throws downfield. But he needs to stop doing too much and be himself. Continue to use the short area and then look to play the cut at times. That’s why he was so good last season.
Perhaps this is the game that will force Purdy to play more consistently going forward. He does not need to bear the burden. He has great players around him. Use them to get the offense back to its top tier form and play as yourself again.