The 49ers got a big break in Sunday's 35-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the very first play of the game at Levi's Stadium.
Buccaneers safety Keanu Neal's would-be sack of rookie quarterback Brock Purdy certainly wasn't how San Francisco's offense wanted to start its first drive -- but it turned out to be in the 49ers' favor when Neal was called for a roughing-the-passer penalty after making helmet-to-helmet contact with Purdy.
After the game, Neal said the penalty call shocked him.
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SIGN UP HERE "I was [surprised], honestly, because I wrapped up and I didn’t lead with my head," Neal told reporters. "I felt like I led with my chest a little bit. I was surprised. I didn’t expect a flag, but like I said, the refs are making decisions in split seconds and they made that call. I can’t argue with it, just have to move forward.”
Both Purdy and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed after the game that the 22-year-old called the wrong audible on the play, though the QB was thankful for Neal's hit, interestingly enough.
"Yeah, it was a hard hit," Purdy, who made his first NFL start Sunday, said after the game. "I was in the wrong play actually, so that was on me, but honestly, it felt good to sort of just get hit and just feel like I was in the game, and I was like, OK.
"So, it sort of turned out to be a good thing.”
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Neal explained that he wasn't aiming for the rookie's head, nor did he remember making helmet-to-helmet contact with Purdy.
"I wasn’t trying to hit him in the head. That wasn’t my goal," Neal said. "My goal was to get the sack with force, obviously. It’s football. It’s a physical sport ... It wasn’t his blind side.
"I thought he saw me, honestly, that’s why I came in. But as I got closer, I expected him to step into the pocket or step out. Yet he didn’t see me, so I just drove through him. But my goal wasn’t to hit him in the head. That’s never my intention. I’m not that kind of player."
Instead of an 8-yard loss on the play, the penalty awarded the 49ers 15 yards and a first down -- which was all Purdy and the offense needed to begin their five-play, 67-yard scoring drive and go up 7-0 in the game's first three minutes.
"Well, [Neal] tried the lowest target.. [Purdy] was a smaller quarterback to begin with," Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said of the play. "We talk about it all the time. We work at it all the time. He understands that we can't add a penalty.”
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The 49ers never looked back after that first possession, with Purdy and Co. ultimately walking away with a blowout win over Tampa Bay and legendary quarterback Tom Brady.
And that was no surprise to the 49ers Faithful.