For each game he broadcasts during the 2024 NFL season all the way through Super Bowl LIX, FOX Sports lead NFL analyst Tom Brady is awarding his LFG Player of the Game to that one player he sees on the field who makes him say …
“LET’S F***ING GO!!!”
In Week 10, that honor went to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who powered the 49ers offense to a 23-20 nail-biter win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That victory put the defending NFC champion 49ers (5-4) above .500 for the first time since Week 1. Check out Brady’s full conversation with Purdy here:
Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game: 49ers’ Brock Purdy | Week 10 DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
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While Purdy waited until late in the game to make some truly highlight-reel plays, Brady still marveled at the “quiet” 353 pass yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions on a 69.4% completion rate that Purdy put on the stat sheet.
The first of those highlight plays for Purdy came thanks to Christian McCaffrey, who made his season debut after missing the 49ers’ first eight games due to Achilles tendinitis. On a key drive with the Buccaneers’ pass rush bearing down on him, Purdy threw a looping deep pass to McCaffrey that the All-Pro running back caught and turned upfield for a big gain. Both the throw and catch left an impression on Brady.
“Those are reps and routes that we’ve run the last couple years with him one-on-one with the linebacker,” Purdy said. “We had a free [pass-rusher] come through, but Christian and I, man, like he hadn’t been playing, obviously, the first half of the season, but that’s a route that we’ve sunk back to the last couple years. And I was like, ‘He’s supposed to be right here.’
“And sure enough, he stutter[-stepped] the guy, and it was right over the top, and he was where he was supposed to be. So that’s just a timing thing we’ve had the last couple years. I’m glad to have him back.”
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McCaffrey has been the most notable injury the 49ers have dealt with this season, but he’s far from the only one. Fellow Pro Bowlers George Kittle and Deebo Samuel have missed time due to injuries this season, and top wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is out for the rest of the year with a torn ACL. But Kittle and Samuel were both healthy and on the field Sunday, as was McCaffrey, giving Purdy his best assortment of offensive weapons he’s had all season.
“It’s huge, man,” Purdy told Brady. “Especially when it comes down to matchups, and you get man-to-man coverage. You got guys that can obviously win and create separation and open up other guys. When guys are doubling Christian, you got Deebo one-on-one, George one-on-one. And so those are things that are nice. And then just being able to drop back and have my [offensive linemen] around me that I’ve had the last couple years, it feels good when you get them back.”
George Kittle on the 49ers’ 23-20 win over the Buccaneers: ‘Just dogs all over the field’
Another notable 49er returning from injury Sunday was kicker Jake Moody, who had missed the past month with a sprained ankle. Moody had an especially bumpy return, missing three field-goal attempts from within 50 yards — but nailed the one that counted most, a 44-yard game-winner as time expired.
“That’s the NFL, and you know it,” Purdy told Brady. “If you have a rough first half or something doesn’t go your way, it’s all about finishing, especially in the NFL. We’re going to have our chances and opportunities. All of us, man, we got his back and are trusting him. We’ve seen things that he’s done for us over the last couple years, and so all we were thinking was, ‘Hey, let’s get Moody into his range and trust him.’ … And he sunk it.”
The win means the 49ers are still very much alive in the NFC West, and they have a chance to gain ground in the division when they host the Seattle Seahawks next Sunday (4:05 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App.)
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