Brock Purdy gets the last laugh on Peterson, Steelers ‘that felt good’
Sep 11, 2023, 8:30 AM | Updated: 12:18 pm
Joe Sargent/Getty Images
Sunday’s beatdown of the Pittsburgh Steelers taught us a few things about the 49ers: 1. This team is built for a big Super Bowl run this season. And No. 2: Stop talking trash about Brock Purdy before the game, because he’ll be the one laughing in the end.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback had a stellar Week 1 performance, finishing with 220 passing yards and two touchdowns to his name. After an offseason filled with speculation and recovery from UCL surgery, the Arizona native came out to his second NFL season on fire.
And you can thank Patrick Peterson for that to a degree.
Brock Purdy scramble and celebration 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/4tzL03LxxF
— Alex 👋 (@Dubs408) September 10, 2023
The veteran cornerback revealed on his podcast last week that Purdy & the 49ers offense have “tells” in their gameplan, allowing Peterson to read their play-calling. The future hall-of-famer even predicted that he’d end up with an interception Sunday.
That didn’t go to plan exactly.
Peterson was the cover man beaten twice on Purdy’s TD throws, both going to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The first score was the most disrespectful, with the WR making an out-in cut that dropped Peterson to the ground, allowing Aiyuk to jump up and corral the football for six.
But the second one was more memorable for Purdy, tossing a ball to Aiyuk’s back shoulder at the front of the endzone. With Peterson again in coverage, the wideout turned around and used his body to make the catch with the cornerback draped all over him.
Two plays, two big moments that signaled the 49ers kept receipts on their foe’s words going into the game.
Purdy made it apparent that he was targeting that matchup on the second score, throwing a little shade after the game.
Brock Purdy: "The second touchdown on the right side, the deep ball, was that on Patrick Peterson?"
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 11, 2023
Safe to say Purdy heard Peterson say during the week that he'll get an interception.pic.twitter.com/EHIE9SjyMA
“The second touchdown on the right side, the deep ball, was that on Patrick Peterson?” Purdy asked with a smirk Sunday. “That one, that felt good. It was good, man. He’s a competitor. I have nothing but respect for Patrick Peterson and anything he does.”
Brandon Aiyuk also knew the situation he was in with both scores, revealing that he was targeting the Peterson matchup for most of the contest. When asked about his back-shoulder score Sunday, all Aiyuk could do was smile, relishing in the moment.
“Yeah,” he stated when asked if it was sweet to score on the cornerback. “He did a good job. I’ve been talking to Pat for a little bit now since we had a couple of encounters. So, I’ve been talking to him for a while now but it was fun to go against him.”
REPORTER: "Was it particularly sweet to get two touchdowns against [Patrick Peterson]?
— KNBR (@KNBR) September 10, 2023
"BRANDON AIYUK: "Yeah" 😏😂 pic.twitter.com/HLFuB1IsBg
Heading into a hostile environment like Pittsburgh on Week 1 is never an easy task, but Purdy & the 49ers passed it with flying colors. And just like on the QB’s fourth-quarter scramble for a first down, the Red & Gold will be chuckling their way back to Santa Clara.
“We just have so many players. It’s fun to watch Aiyuk do his thing. And Purdy shut some haters up. It’s nice to be on a really good team,” defensive end Nick Bosa said postgame.
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