Thursday night is not only Brock Purdy’s first short week in the NFL, but his first game experience at Seattle Seahawks Lumen Field. No matter what happens, the rookie quarterback will be prepared.
“I think this is the most hostile environment you could probably play in,” Purdy said on Tuesday. “Either here, or [Kansas City Chiefs] Arrowhead so I’m excited for it. All these guys have played here a bunch of times, so just hearing them out, what’s good, and what’s not, in terms of communication and operation.
“We will be ready to roll with it."
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The Iowa State product, who is dealing with a rib and an oblique injury, is attempting to recover enough to play Thursday night. Head coach Kyle Shanahan shared there is chance that Purdy might not be healthy enough to play. No matter if Purdy or veteran Josh Johnson takes the field on Thursday evening, the head coach knows they need to be prepared for the environment.
“Going into Seattle, I don’t think I’ve been any where louder than there,” Shanahan said on Tuesday. “We know how their fans are, we know how that stadium is. You got to be ready for it. “You can’t expect to be able to hear, not just at the line of scrimmage, but also in the huddle a number of times.
“It’s a big difference playing there.”
Purdy played a significant number of road games in his four seasons as the starting quarterback of Iowa State. The rookie shared that the most raucous environment, in Norman, Oklahoma when facing the University of Oklahoma.
San Francisco 49ers
“Every time we went down there it was always a great game and those people, I feel like they were breathing down our necks,” Purdy said. “There was 90-plus-thousand people. You really can’t hear yourself think. That was probably one of the best environments I’ve even played in.”
With crowd noise being a significant factor in Seattle, Purdy will need to do his best at making sure the calls get communicated in the huddle accurately. Shanahan said outside of a few mistakes in the Iowa State product's first start on Sunday in Week 14, Purdy did a commendable job relaying his verbose play calls.
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Purdy realizes the magnitude of Thursday night’s game. With a win, the 49ers will clinch the division and move one step closer to the No. 2 seed and home-field advantage in the postseason. The 22-year-old is looking forward to the challenge that is Seattle’s hostile environment and is hoping to be healthy enough to play.
“This is the best of the best, and for me, I look at is as a challenge,” Purdy said. “I can prove to myself that I belong here and I can play here and do all these things — the challenges of being banged up and being able to perform. Especially in a crucial part of the season where it’s going to take what it takes.
“There’s no regrets moving forward. Or anything like that, that I want to have down the road. I want to make sure I give everything I have right now. It’s a great challenge for myself.”
Purdy will likely be a game-time decision for the 49ers, but nothing will stop the rookie from wanting to play.