Brock Purdy feels the 49ers ‘need a win’ Week 10 at Jacksonville

Nov 9, 2023, 5:00 PM

AMES, IA - NOVEMBER 04: Former Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Brock Purdy waves to the home crowd as they take on the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half of play at Jack Trice Stadium on November 4, 2023 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)

(Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)

BY AMILIANO FRAGOSO

San Francisco 49ers Beat Writer

The San Francisco 49ers enter Week 10 in must-win territory, losing the last three games. Which is why the team’s bye week came at just the right time, especially for quarterback Brock Purdy.

The 49ers gunslinger use the Week 9 bye to recharge his batteries after an up and down first half of the 2023 season. Sitting at 5-3 is much different than this time last year (3-4), giving the Red & Gold a chance to rally toward playoff contention. But after suffering three-straight losses entering the week off, Purdy and the 49ers are more than happy to have a chance to catch their breaths.

“To be able to like step away from the game, take a breather, understand where we’re at, what we have to do, it was huge for me to clear my mind and then come back like excited for the second half and for the stretch of some good football that we have to play. So I feel good,” Brock Purdy said Thursday.

Purdy spent his bye week in the midwest, plowing his fiancés family’s farm in Iowa. He used that time on tractors raking cornfield to reflect on the last three months. Additionally, the QB rested his surgically-repaired right arm by not throwing a football all week, the first time that had happened since the summer.

“With however many games we played in the first half of the season, your arm, you start feeling a little sore at practice and whatnot, but come game time, you’re ready to roll,” Purdy stated. “Having a week off for the second stretch [of the season] was huge for me, with my arm.”

"It was good just to be able to breathe."

Brock Purdy shares how he spent the bye week to mentally recharge pic.twitter.com/afv3TjcDdM

— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) November 9, 2023

He didn’t completely stay away from football however, looking back on the entirety of the 49ers 2023 season thus far. Both the good and the bad. Going from 5-0 to 5-3 in less than a month calls for some adjustments, something Purdy is well aware of moving forward.

“Yeah, it’s huge. Looking at the good, looking at the bad of the first half, how hot we started and then obviously the last three games of like, ‘all right, what’s going on’? What could we be better at, for myself especially? It was huge,” the QB said.

One of those improvements being better football management.

Brock Purdy has thrown five interceptions all season, normally a good mark at the halfway point of the regular season. The problem: All five picks have come in the last three games.

After tossing up two fourth-quarter INTs against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8, Brock Purdy knew he had some work to do. And always wanting to be accountable, he addressed the rest of his team about the mistakes after the loss.

“I just wanted the team to know, and hear from my own mouth, face to face, I’ve got to be better. I own up to mistakes that I made,” Purdy stated. “[At] certain points of the game I have to be smart with the ball.”

That’s partially why he is so fired up to be back this week, eager to avenge his and the 49ers’ recent struggles. While the last few weeks aren’t all on him, that doesn’t matter now, knowing all they need is one win to get the train rolling again.

“Yeah, it’s huge. We just need to win. We need to win. Have that feeling again of winning and then get on a streak and roll. The second half of the season’s huge,” the gunslinger said.

The 49ers are also getting healthy at the right time, with star players Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams logging practice Thursday.

Samuel is more likely to feature than Williams, as the wideout has been a full participant this week. Meanwhile, the left tackle only returned to practice Thursday. Nevertheless, having you guys back in the fold is always great news, looking to get the offense back to 49ers standards.

“Yeah, it’s huge. Obviously you get the ball into Deebo’s hands and he can do some crazy stuff and help our team out big time. So to have Deebo back will be huge,” Purdy explained. “Trent as well, that’s going to be awesome to have him and his experience as [a leader] and help out with everything, run game, pass game, Trent’s the best of the best. So, to have two of those guys back and give a spark and bring that energy to our offense, it’s huge.”

"You get the ball into Deebo's hands and he can do some crazy stuff."

Purdy is looking forward to having Deebo and potentially Trent Williams back on Sunday 💪 pic.twitter.com/8IIvv8jsRd

— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) November 9, 2023

The 49ers have scored 17 points in each of the last games. In the first five weeks of the season, they averaged almost 30 points per contest.

Now in Year 2 of his NFL career, Purdy is excited to get the 49ers back on track, with the rest of the team feeling the same way. And while they have a shared hold on the NFC West division currently, the national media is more skeptical of them than ever before.

But that’s okay, San Francisco prefers to be the underdogs, as Purdy knows what the 2023 49ers are capable of.

“Whenever our backs are against the wall, we play good football. We’re a talented team,” he added. “Once we’re hungry and set our goals and need it, we can do a lot.”