Brock Purdy went into halftime Sunday with 89 passing yards, a failed fourth-down sneak and a 3-3 scoreboard. He came out of the afternoon with two touchdown passes and the San Francisco 49ers still unbeaten.
Purdy completed 19 of 30 passes for 218 yards and two scores as San Francisco beat visiting Denver 24-14 at Levi's Stadium. He did not throw an interception, and for the fourth straight game he was not sacked, the Associated Press reported. ESPN's box score matches that line.
The first half was a grind. Purdy was 10 of 16 for 89 yards before the break, according to 49ers.com. On San Francisco's second possession, Kyle Shanahan called a quarterback sneak on fourth down in Denver territory and Purdy came up short, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Late in the second quarter, he escaped pressure from Que Robinson, but his throw to an uncovered Mike Evans in the end zone was off target, and San Francisco had to take a 24-yard field goal instead. Another try was blocked as the half expired.
"We wanted to break through whatever that was and just be ourselves," Purdy said, per the AP. "I'm glad we could get some momentum going in the second half. That's why it's a four-quarter game."
Three straight touchdowns
The opening came on special teams. Reserve safety Siran Neal forced a fumble on Marvin Mims Jr.'s punt return and fell on the loose ball at the Denver 28. The short drive that followed nearly stalled when a snap sailed wide of Purdy on fourth-and-1, but running back Kaelon Black gathered it and pushed ahead for 2 yards, the Chronicle reported.
Purdy also scrambled for 11, then finished the possession by flipping a 1-yard scoring pass to Deebo Samuel for a 10-3 lead late in the third quarter.
His next possession went 74 yards. A 17-yard completion to Evans, who played through a rib injury, set up Christian McCaffrey's 1-yard run for a 17-6 cushion midway through the fourth.
Denver got back within three when Bo Nix hit Jaylen Waddle for a 13-yard touchdown and added the two-point conversion with 4:05 left. Purdy answered in six plays. With 2:15 remaining, he flipped a screen to George Kittle behind the line, and Kittle outran Denver safety Talanoa Hufanga, a former 49ers teammate, for a 56-yard touchdown.