49ers fans have grown accustomed to quarterback Brock Purdy making unbelievable throws, but he made yet another one in Saturday's preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders. Add this one to the list of great throws he's made.
The throw in question came in the first quarter of the game on 3rd down and 6 and can be watched right here or right here if the previous link does not work. Purdy receives the ball in the shotgun position and the defensive line of the Raiders gets pressure on him quickly. Purdy releases the ball right as he is hit and is able to fit it perfectly over the linebacker into the hands of tight end George Kittle who was covered tightly.
The throw can be better appreciated from behind Purdy where you can see how tight of a window it is for him to fit the ball into. If you listen to the Raiders broadcasters, they go from being upset that the ball was not intercepted by the defense to simply praising Purdy's ability to fit the ball into such a tight window.
Now, it is fair to argue that this was an ill-advised throw by Brock. One does not want to make a habit out of throwing balls into such tight coverage because eventually that could come back to bite you.
However, Purdy has shown time and time again that he is simply not afraid of making difficult throws. The pass to Kittle brought to mind a similar throw he made in a much higher stakes moment during last year's NFC Divisional game against the Green Bay Packers. The play can be watched here. On that play, Purdy similarly lofted the ball perfectly over the outstretched hand of the linebacker and had enough touch on it that he did not overshoot his wide receiver Jauan Jennings who came down with the catch.
The throw he made in Saturday's preseason game is just the latest example of Purdy's fearlessness. For all the talk of him being a "checkdown" quarterback, anyone who has watched him knows that the dude is a bonafide gunslinger. Sure, he does not have all the physical gifts of other quarterbacks, but he plays with a fearlessness and confidence that many NFL quarterbacks do not possess.
It is throws like these that should get us excited to see Purdy's second full season as a starter for the 49ers in 2024.
