Shanahan calls Purdy an ‘assassin.’ ‘I started watching him like every other fan’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Purdy threw for 303 yards and accounted for five touchdowns.
- Kyle Shanahan praised Purdy as an 'assassin' and credited improvised plays.
- 49ers secured 12-4 record and face Seahawks for No.1 seed, with bye at stake.
San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan is known for his game planning and play calling. His quarterback, Brock Purdy, called him a “Hall of Fame coach” late Sunday night.
But Shanahan’s X’s and O’s aren’t always enough.
Sometimes, the 49ers must win with plays on the fly. Sometimes their wins come down to quarterback Brock Purdy scrambling to make something out of nothing, running for touchdowns, avoiding sacks, or making defenders miss before hitting his fullback in the end zone and dancing his way to the sideline in celebration like he did in the third quarter Sunday night.
“It’s never going into a game, ‘hey I’m gonna scramble my butt off here,’” Purdy said after the 49ers’ dramatic 42-38 victory over the Chicago Bears to improve to 12-4 and remain alive for the No. 1 seed. “When it’s going to happen, I’ve got to be smart out of the design of the play, but also have my eyes down field because guys are moving and working. There are explosive plays out there. So I feel it’s something I continue to learn as I go. It’s part of my game.”
It was a big part of Purdy’s game in one of San Francisco’s biggest wins of the season. He rushed for two touchdowns, one coming via scramble on a passing play in the first quarter and another on a designed keeper off a run fake to Christian McCaffrey.
But the highlight was this: Purdy made two defenders miss in the open field on a rollout left, leading to finding Kyle Juszczyk in the front corner of the end zone from 6 yards out. Purdy threw on the run, nearly crossing the line of scrimmage, after two defenders in coverage came up in case Purdy tried to run for his third touchdown.
“I started watching him like every other fan does,” Shanahan said. “(I was) extremely nervous.”
‘I thought Brock had a hell of a game’
The win alleviated Shanahan’s nerves and set up a showdown for the No. 1 seed Saturday when the 49ers host the Seattle Seahawks in the regular season finale. Winner earns the only bye in the NFL playoffs and ensures home field advantage.
Of course, for San Francisco, there’s also intrigue in staying home because Super Bowl LX will be played in Levi’s Stadium.
Purdy’s sterling night included 303 yards on 24-of-33 completions, three touchdown passes and two more rushing. He accounted for five touchdowns for the second consecutive game following up his career high in touchdown throws (five) last Monday against the Indianapolis Colts.
His last throw, a 38-yard touchdown to Jauan Jennings, gave the 49ers the lead with 2:15 remaining after being down by 3. And he had to overcome spotting the Bears seven points when they returned an interception for a touchdown on the first snap of the game.
“I thought Brock had a hell of a game,” Shanahan said. “Brock’s been playing his ass off ... and was an assassin out there throughout the whole day.”
Purdy’s play-making has elevated the 49ers’ offense to another level. And San Francisco needed every bit of it to escape with a win on Sunday against a Bears offense that racked up 440 yards (the 49ers had 496) and were 2 yards away from a game-winning touchdown when Caleb Williams’ pass fell incomplete with the clock showing zeroes.
“It’s huge,” Shanahan said of Purdy’s play making. “Brock moved the chains with his legs a few times and then he bought time, a number of times, made big plays down the field, and then the touchdown to Juice. Our quarterback doing things off schedule is a huge part of our success.”
Shanahan on his D at the end: ‘They stepped it up’
The Bears came into the game with six of their 11 wins coming from behind inside two minutes. They nearly had a seventh but the 49ers’ pressured Williams enough to force an incompletion as time expired with Chicago on the 2-yard line.
“They stepped it up huge, man,” Shanahan said. “That team’s had more fourth quarter comebacks than anyone in the history of the NFL. There’s a lot we can clean up from the whole game. We probably made too many mistakes but to get it done, they’re at their best when the best was needed. And to stop them on the last drive was huge.”
An unlikely hero holds serve
The 49ers lost all-world left tackle Trent Williams in the first quarter with a hamstring injury, forcing Austin Pleasants to protect Purdy’s blind side for nearly the entire game. The Bears sacked Purdy just once and San Francisco rushed for 200 yards on 34 carries (5.9 average).
“To play that whole game, and to not be an issue, I think I only talked about him on one third down, so my sense is he played real good,” Shanahan said.
Williams’ injury status was not updated after the game.
Did the 49ers score too fast?
As the ending bore out, the 49ers might have left too much time on the clock to allow the Bears a chance at coming back with a last-second victory. Jennings touchdown came with 2:15 left and the Bears had the two-minute warning and all three of their timeouts at their disposal to try and get the game-winning touchdown.
“Yeah, we’d rather score at the last second, but it was so nice from far out too,” Shanahan said. “It was a hell of a read by Brock ... JJ getting the house call was huge. Ended up alright, though. Wish it was the last second.”
Seahawks on Saturday: ‘It’s going to happen soon’
Yet San Francisco sits at 12-4 and are a win away from a much-needed first-round bye and home field advantage.
“It’s huge,” Shanahan said. “I’m so proud of the guys. Throughout the whole year, proud of them today, it’s a hell of a deal to have the opportunity to play for the one seed. These guys have earned it. So we gotta go to bed early and come back because we found out it’s Saturday, so it’s going to happen soon.”
This story was originally published December 28, 2025 at 10:48 PM.
