Leading up to the 49ers' regular-season opener in Pittsburgh, Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson made waves when he commented that San Francisco's offense had “tells” while also predicting that he would record an interception against San Francisco.
Not only did Peterson fail to register a pick, but he was also responsible for allowing both touchdowns that Purdy threw in the 49ers' victory.
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After the game, Purdy was asked if he was aware in the moment that those touchdowns came against Peterson.
“Honestly, at first, no, I wasn’t thinking about any of that,” Purdy said. “[Brandon Aiyuk] was open. He did a great job on the route, got him the ball, and scored a touchdown. Then the second touchdown on the right side, the deep ball, was that on Patrick Peterson? Yeah, that felt good.
"He’s a competitor, and I have nothing but respect for Patrick Peterson and everything that he does.”
San Francisco 49ers
While he paid his respects to the Steelers defensive back, his response came with a sly grin, indicating that Peterson’s comments might have served as extra motivation for Purdy as he prepared for this game.
During postgame media availability, Peterson was asked if the 49ers ditched the tells that he had seen that led to him making those comments.
"No, they were there. I had the opportunity to get two picks, I just didn’t grab it in," Peterson said. “Credit to those guys, they did a great job of sticking to their game plan and really getting into their identity. Which is running the ball, misdirection, hit those deep stops. That’s just what they do, we just weren’t in a good enough position to make those plays.”
Purdy has thrown multiple touchdown passes in each of the first six regular-season games he has started, but the pair he threw today in Pittsburgh seemed to have a little extra meaning behind them for the 49ers' second year quarterback.