This player needs to step up for the 49ers to beat the Seahawks

It all comes down to this player.

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers got through to the Divisional Round with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round. In order to beat the Seattle Seahawks this week, they will need some players who were not at their best last week to play better. One that Ryan Smith of Pro Football Focus has identified is Brock Purdy. 

Do the San Francisco 49ers need more from Brock Purdy?

Smith notes that Purdy was picked off twice and that he struggled against the blitz. This is fair to a degree. Purdy did test Quinyon Mitchell early and often. Early, it led to success for the 49ers. Often, it ended in interceptions. 

All-Pro cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (92.0 PFF coverage grade) got the best of Purdy for most of the night, picking him off twice while breaking up another pass. Purdy struggled particularly against the blitz, where he completed just one of nine passes for two yards and two interceptions.

Ryan Smith

Purdy did struggle against the blitz, but overall, considering he was in the playoffs, on the road and against a great Eagles defense, it is hard to say that he played too poorly. Purdy had a 6.5% big time throw rate as well, per PFF, and he made a few big plays by moving out of the pocket and finding his man off-script. He created in this game. 

Beyond that, the 49ers were without Ricky Pearsall, and George Kittle left the game early. Even if Kittle is out, Pearsall should be back, and they can at least game-plan around the loss. 

Still, the two interceptions will linger, and it is fair that the biggest touchdown of the game came when they took the ball out of his hands. 

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Smith also notes that the Seahawks' defense is tougher than the Eagles' defense, even if they were a good group. So, the level just stepped up. PFF has Devon Witherspoon as their top-graded cornerback. Purdy may want to, but he cannot go at him in the way that he went at Mitchell last week. 

Beyond that, Purdy needs to continue to find the easy passes and take his checkdowns. Even when he extended the play, some of his best results were when he got out of the pocket to find a dump off underneath who could create yards after the catch. 

The game-winning touchdown was simply Purdy stepping up in the pocket and making a quick pass to Christian McCaffrey, cutting underneath. 

So, in the same game that Purdy brought concerns that cannot happen against Seattle, he also made plays that showed that he is the type of player who can beat a tough Seattle defense. 

If Purdy plays better than last week, the 49ers have a real shot to win the game.