Why Purdy's gutty game didn't surprise Shanahan, 49ers stars

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SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy might have surprised the crowd on hand for the 49ers' 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins, but his teammates expected his unflappable performance.

After Jimmy Garoppolo left the game with a season-ending foot injury, the 22-year old Purdy took over. 

Purdy finished the game completing 25 of his 37 attempts for 210 yards. He threw two touchdown passes and was intercepted once. The rookie faced zero coverage and the Dolphins' blitz heavy defensive scheme without flinching, impressing coach Kyle Shanahan. 

“Brock came in and made some big plays,” Shanahan said. “He’s got some balls out there, forgive me for saying it that way. Just throwing him in there in the heat of battle like that, they had some good adjustments, taking away our hot throws. 

“We were having to change a lot of stuff on the fly which put a lot of pressure on him that way. I thought he did a hell of a job doing it.” 

Purdy got all of his skill players involved, completing passes to seven different targets. The Iowa State product threw contested passes without hesitation, which didn’t surprise George Kittle at all. 

“He’s just got confidence,” Kittle said. “You can feel it. He’s not shy. He’s kind of quiet sometimes but there’s no timidness to him. When your quarterback is confident, you feel confident. If you’re not confident, guys feel that. But he was in there ready to sling it.” 

As much as the offensive line tried to keep all of the Dolphins away from their young quarterback, there was pressure on Purdy much of the game.

Purdy’s last significant outing was in Week 3 of the preseason when he competed 13 of his 20 attempts for 182 yards while throwing one interception. He also carried the ball three times for 10 yards.

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Nick Bosa, who faces Purdy during practice, has noticed how the rookie doesn't shy away from a closing pocket. 

"It’s hard to tell in practice but whenever he has gotten his shot, in preseason he looked like he had some dog in him,” Bosa said. “I love his mindset, he’s super tough. He’s not afraid to make mistakes. He gets playmakers the ball. He’s our guy now, so we got to roll.”

The 49ers reportedly are set to sign Josh Johnson to their 53-man roster, but for now, it looks like it will be Purdy’s job under center for rest of the season.

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