Brock Purdy is rolling into Week 1 as the last quarterback a defense wants to see if they’re trying to rack up sacks. This dude is a total anomaly for the Rams’ new-look defense, featuring Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald, because he holds onto the ball longer than most signal callers and somehow still barely gets sacked. According to Pro Football Focus, out of all the quarterbacks hitting the 2025 20% dropback threshold, Purdy had the lowest pressure-to-sack ratio at a ridiculously low 9.0%. Think about that for a second. The NFL average is chilling in the high teens, and Purdy is down there in single digits with just Bo Nix and Caleb Williams. Crazy!
This QB’s Sack-Evading Magic Is for Real
It is absolutely wild that Purdy is able to escape so much heat. He actually had the fourth-longest time to throw at 3.23 seconds. Only Caleb Williams was a tick longer at 3.24 seconds. This is the modern game, right? Extend the play, let the receivers work, avoid those killer negative plays. So, if you’re out there thinking Garrett and Donald are just gonna eat up the 49ers’ offensive line, you might wanna pump the brakes. It’s not that simple with Purdy behind center. Looking back at 2025, a lot of QBs were on the hook for their own sacks, like Geno Smith with a whopping 23 and our very own Sam Darnold with 14. Purdy just isn’t that guy.
Where the Rams Might Find a Crack in the Armor
Now, Purdy isn’t Superman. There are ways to get him, but it’s gonna take more than just a strong pass rush. The Rams have historically struggled against the 49ers when they rely solely on that. The weirdest part? The Rams barely know Purdy. He’s only played them three times, one game in 2023 and two in 2024. Mac Jones was actually the starter for both games against LA last season! It’s super rare for an entrenched divisional starter to be such an unknown quantity.
Where Purdy shows some vulnerability is with the deep ball. He was the sixth-least aggressive quarterback when it came to attempts aimed more than 20 yards downfield last season, with those passes making up only 9.9% of his throws. When he did go deep, he completed just 18 of 34 passes for 514 yards, tossing three touchdowns but also four interceptions. His turnover-worthy play rate on deep balls was a rough 17.6%, second-worst behind Tua Tagovailoa. So, the 49ers are probably gonna keep him from pushing the ball deep too often, especially against a heavy rush. The Rams could flip the script by getting an early lead and forcing San Francisco to play catch-up, winning on first and second down to put Purdy in those tricky third-and-long spots.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Turf Show Times.
Leave a Reply