Brock Purdy wows 49ers teammates with 'slithery,' off-schedule plays

Tackling Brock Purdy is proving to be quite a difficult task for opposing defenses.

The 49ers' rookie quarterback put on a show Saturday in a 41-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card Game at Levi's Stadium.

Purdy completed 18 of his 30 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns, and also had a rushing score in a career-best performance on the biggest stage of his NFL career.

However, looking beyond the box score, Purdy's ability to avoid pressure and extend plays really stood out Saturday.

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel told reporters after the game that Purdy has a "slithery-ness" to his game that allows him to avoid pressure and extend plays downfield.

"It's great to see the things he's doing back there," Samuel said. "You think he's sacked, and his little slithery-ness of getting out of stuff, it kind of makes us tired because we got to run around, too, trying to get open. It works, so as long as Brock's doing his thing, we going to ride with him."

To Purdy, his "slithery" ability is instinctual and has been part of his game ever since he was a kid.

"It's not something where I go into a play, and if it's not there, I'll scramble and do this and that," Purdy said. "I want to go through my progressions and stuff, but I feel like the instinct that I have of playing football throughout the years, that if something's not there, the play can still be alive. That's sort of in the back of my mind.

"So, growing up, I've been able to scramble and make plays off off-schedule. In those moments, on a couple of those touchdowns, I think it was just something I've done my whole life in terms of finding a way if it's not there."

Though Purdy has proven to be excellent at evading pressure and extending plays, the 23-year-old still continues to make his coach, Kyle Shanahan, nervous at times.

"He was great on some -- that last one was very close," Shanahan said. "It was unbelievable the throw he made in the corner to [Brandon Aiyuk], I know he just missed that.

"He's got a feel for it. He definitely makes me nervous on some of it, but he did a hell of a job getting away. He knows his body, he's out there, you see how close he is to those guys. He tries to never give up on a play, and he's been very smart with the ball so far, so I appreciate he's doing it."

With a first career playoff win under his belt, Purdy continues to find new ways to impress his coach and teammates each and every week.

Purdy and the 49ers live to fight another week in an NFC divisional-round matchup with either the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Dallas Cowboys.

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