SANTA CLARA — An NFL quarterback normally would not have feelings of regret following a booming 72-yard play to open the game, but that is not the case for Brock Purdy.
On the opening play of the 49ers’ Week 14 win over the Seattle Seahawks, Purdy took the snap at the 25-yard line and handed the ball off to star running back Christian McCaffrey, who ran from the left side of the formation, down to the 3-yard line near the right sideline.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk made key blocks throughout the entire play, allowing his teammate to gain a few more yards, but Purdy let off the gas after starting out at a full sprint down the right sideline. If the quarterback had kept up his pace, Purdy believes the play very well might have resulted in a touchdown.
“I saw him make his cut early on,” Purdy said. “I saw a couple guys downfield, and BA running. I was like, ‘Alright, I’m going to try to get down there.’ And if Christian ends up cutting back, I’m going to hopefully be able to get in front of a guy and make a block for him.
“Christian started to pull away and I didn’t know if I was going to get there. And then he made his cut-back and I was like, ‘Dang it, I should have done it. I should have kept going.”
McCaffrey doesn’t blame his quarterback at all, believing he should have made it into the end zone himself, regardless. The running back was very clear that he would prefer his quarterback stay healthy by not blocking defenders.
“Hopefully not,” McCaffrey said of the possibility of Purdy helping block plays. “Hopefully he just stays out of the way. He probably thought I was going to score, which I should have, and wanted to celebrate.”
Purdy, as a team player, wanted to keep the play alive and just “be there” for McCaffrey, especially with a chance to score. Instead, on the following play, running back J.P. Mason was subbed in for McCaffrey and was able to run the ball three yards to put the first points on the board.
McCaffrey was not surprised that the first player to help him off the grass was his quarterback.
“He had a long time,” McCaffrey said with a smile. “I should have scored a long time ago, but It was cool to see.”
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