INDIANAPOLIS – Brock Purdy threw a career-high 5 landing passes Monday night time, outdueling unretired counterpart Philip Rivers and organising the 49ers for doubtlessly their best homestand in franchise historical past.
By profitable Monday night time’s remaining regular-season highway recreation in a 48-27 shootout over the Colts, the 49ers remained in charge of their playoff future, which might embody the NFC’s No. 1 seed for home-field benefit en path to Tremendous Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium.
The 49ers (11-4) have gained 5 in a row, and in the event that they win one other 5 (all at residence), they’ll hoist the Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 8.
To first clinch the NFC’s No. 1 seed, they might want to beat the 2 groups at present atop the NFC standings — the Chicago Bears (11-4) subsequent Sunday night time, then the Seattle Seahawks (12-3) of their regular-season finale.
The 49ers formally secured a playoff berth 24 hours earlier, by advantage of a Detroit Lions’ residence loss to Inexperienced Bay. A number of 49ers watched that broadcast in a gathering room at their posh lodge close to Lucas Oil Stadium, just for a particular groups assembly to tug them away whereas officers untangled that penalty-plagued end in Detroit.
The 49ers, from begin to end Monday night time, used offensive fireworks handy a fifth straight loss to the Colts (8-7). That mentioned, Dee Winters’ 74-yard interception return for a landing really completed off Rivers and the Colts with 3 1/2 minutes to go.
That was Rivers’ thirty fifth and remaining cross in his in any other case endearing homecoming; he accomplished 23 passes for 277 yards with two landing passes that got here on his first two drives.
Purdy, who turns 26 this Saturday, traded landing throws with the 44-year-old Rivers from the outset within the latter’s second recreation again from 2020 retirement.
Purdy saved his greatest landing drive for final, and it began with 12 1/2 minutes to go, with the 49ers up 34-27, and with tight finish George Kittle sidelined by an ankle harm.
Purdy opened that game-clinching drive with a 17-yard completion to Jauan Jennings, then it was Christian McCaffrey’s flip to run, springing a season-best 24-yard run on third-and-1 to the Colts’ 20. After Purdy discovered Jennings on third-and-8 to the 8-yard line, it arrange third-and-goal from the 9, the place Purdy coolly discovered McCaffrey open within the left flat for landing cross No. 5 and a 41-27 lead.
It was McCaffrey’s second landing catch, and it got here in the identical recreation he crested the 1,000-yard speeding mark. His 117 yards pushed his season whole to 1,039 speeding yards; he’s 151 yards away from 1,000 yards receiving, after Monday’s six-catch, 29-yard effort.
Purdy threw landing passes on every of his first three drives, the primary 49ers quarterback to try this since at the least 2000, in line with The Related Press. Apart from the scoring strikes to McCaffrey, his different landing passes went to Kittle, Jennings and Demarcus Robinson.
Purdy almost made it 4 scores in 4 drives, however Kittle did not snag a contested third-down fade in the long run zone, leading to Eddy Piñeiro’s 25-yard subject purpose for a 24-14 lead.
The Colts responded with a subject purpose to take a 24-17 deficit into halftime, however solely after Rivers underthrew an open receiver on third down from the 21-yard line. It took a crossbar to halt the high-scoring first half because it rejected Piñeiro’s 64-yard try as time expired.
Purdy’s fourth landing cross got here simply after halftime and made it 31-17 on a 3-yard throw to Jennings, who earlier within the drive transformed a third-and-8 catch for a 21-yard acquire.
Rivers couldn’t reply in sort, as Upton Stout broke up a third-down cross that compelled the Colts to accept a 51-yard Blake Grupe subject purpose, slicing the 49ers’ result in 31-20 halfway by the third quarter. The 49ers answered with a Piñeiro subject purpose, however solely after a third-down play ended with Kittle limping to the sideline resulting from an ankle harm.
Kittle had seven catches for 115 yards, together with a go-ahead landing reception early within the second quarter for a 21-14 lead. He had his helmet on for the fourth quarter however didn’t re-enter the sport, nor was he wanted.
Rivers, who almost delivered a last-minute win final Sunday in Seattle, acquired the ball again for extra late-game magic as soon as security Camryn Bynum intercepted a excessive Purdy cross that went off Kendrick Bourne’s palms.
The 49ers’ protection not solely completed sturdy, it restricted NFL speeding chief Jonathan Taylor to simply 46 yards on 16 carries.
The primary-half landing recap:
Colts 7-0: Rivers’ 20-yard cross over the center to Alec Pierce towards Ji’Ayir Brown’s protection. Rivers, one recreation again from his 2020 retirement, opened by underthrowing Michael Pittman on a deep ball, however he twice transformed on third-and-long to arrange his first landing cross.
49ers 7-7: Purdy fires a 22-yard scoring strike to Demarcus Robinson, his first of the season and the primary by a 49ers broad receiver aside from Jennings.
49ers 14-7: Purdy would throw a second landing cross lower than 3 minutes later, that being a 2-yard toss to McCaffrey for a 14-7 lead. It was McCaffrey’s fifteenth landing this season, sixth on a reception. It was made potential by Brown forcing a fumble on the Colts’ kick return and Jake Tonges recovering on the Colts’ 26.
Colts 14-14: Rivers once more discovered Pierce for a landing, this towards cornerback Darrell Luter Jr., who began instead of the injured Renardo Inexperienced; Luter drew a pass-interference penalty that was declined.
49ers 21-14: Purdy scrambled earlier than discovering Kittle open for an 11-yard landing catch solely 2:24 into the second quarter. For the third time in 5 video games since getting back from a toe harm, Purdy had a three-touchdown effort.
