The San Francisco 49ers needed Brock Purdy to step up with Christian McCaffrey out. The pressure increased on Purdy when McCaffrey was placed on Injured Reserve due to Achilles tendinitis. He's never started a game without McCaffrey before, so this was uncharted territory for Purdy.
Through six games without McCaffrey this season, it is safe to say that Purdy is stepping up. He has looked sharp all season long. As a result, he is the best quarterback in this statistical category so far. That stat is the rate that he is throwing beyond the sticks. Purdy has thrown past the sticks at the highest rate in the NFL this season (50.8 percent), per Next Gen Stats.
He has been effective in pushing the ball past the sticks, completing 60.6 percent of his passes (fifth in the NFL) despite throwing into tight windows at the fourth-highest rate (34.0 percent). So, Purdy is always looking to move the chains and execute the big play. That is how he is trying to step up with McCaffrey absent. It's commendable to see, but also dangerous.
Purdy is always looking for chunk gains, which is why he is holding onto the ball for so long. The 49ers lead the league with the highest time to pressure (3.07 seconds). So, the offensive line is doing a great job in pass protecting, but their pressure rate takes a hit because Purdy wants to sit and look down the field.
I get why he wants to do that. He wants to be the chain mover and is relatively succeeding. Outside of the red zone, he has been sweet. But there are times when he needs to stop doing too much. He is starting to play too much "hero ball" now. Sometimes he needs to take the underneath routes and let his teammates go to work.
It's something he should do more when the 49ers play the Kansas City Chiefs this week. Throwing past the sticks will not come as easily against them. The Chiefs have forced the highest tight window rate on passes beyond the sticks (41.9 percent). That is the second-lowest completion percentage in the league (40.3 percent).
Purdy needs to take what the defense is giving him and take shots in spurts. Otherwise, he will risk having stalled drives. Again, having that mentality is commendable. It is amazing to see from him after the 49ers didn't have that at all with previous quarterbacks. But he needs to ascend in this area and be smarter so that he can flourish more.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/49ers/ as Brock Purdy is the Best Quarterback in This Statistical Category.