- Programming note: Watch Greg Papa's full interview with Kyle Shanahan on "49ers Game Plan," airing at 9:30 p.m. PT Friday on NBC Sports Bay Area
Brock Purdy didn't have time to leave his mark on last season's NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles before exiting with a severe elbow injury that required offseason surgery.
Since Purdy last saw the Eagles, he not only returned from the injury but also has catapulted himself into the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks during that span, showing growth that received effusive praise from 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.
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Shanahan sat down with Greg Papa on NBC Sports Bay Area's "49ers Game Plan" and explained how Purdy has improved since the last time he took the field in Philadelphia.
"I think just experience, he's got more now," Shanahan told Papa. "Brock, things are very natural for him when he thinks about all this stuff, and then he reacts. And when he does something bad in a game, whether it's a minor thing that nobody notices or a big thing, Brock's as hard on himself as anyone.
"And he doesn't just get down and embarrassed or mad. He actually thinks about it, wants to know, [and] tries to figure out how to fix it so it doesn't happen again. He's one of the best guys I've been around who rarely makes the same mistake twice."
Shanahan raved about Purdy's pocket presence during the 49ers' three-game winning streak, highlighting a standout play from San Francisco's Week 10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
San Francisco 49ers
"I think he's been able to find the spots there a lot better," Shanahan said. "He's been able to escape in all four of the spots, up to the right, up to the left, or both back. I thought the most impressive one was the Jacksonville one where he didn't escape, and he stayed in there, and how tight it was, and was able to hit that big one to [George] Kittle.
"I think the best thing he's been doing, especially this last month, is, when people are around him, how well he is protecting that ball. He's quick and agile and can get out of there; it's tough to do that without running around with the ball in one hand. And I think he's done a real good job, especially vs. Seattle because they were close a number of times, protecting that ball and not turning it over."
Since San Francisco's bye in Week 9, Purdy has been on fire over the last three games. The 49ers quarterback has completed 75 percent of his pass attempts, throwing for 838 yards with seven touchdowns to just one interception over that span.
Purdy has the opportunity to send a loud message to the rest of the league by delivering a road victory in the same stadium his rookie season came to an abrupt end 10 months ago.