With just over seven minutes left in the third quarter of the Green Bay Packers’ 2012 Divisional Round game in San Francisco, Colin Kaepernick took the snap from the pistol formation, faked a handoff to Frank Gore, kept the ball, and sprinted 56 yards for a touchdown.
“Colin Kaepernick,” Joe Buck’s voice echoed. “What a game!”
On that night, Kaepernick went on to establish a new record for the most rushing yards by a quarterback in a game.
Green Bay fell 45-31 to the San Francisco 49ers and faced the same fate in 2013. San Francisco visited Lambeau Field for Wild Card weekend. Green and Gold fans again watched Kaepernick repeatedly gash Green Bay’s defense. He rushed for 98 yards on seven attempts, including a crucial third-and-eight scramble from Green Bay’s 38-yard line that put the Niners in field goal range. The 49ers sent the Packers home for the second consecutive season with a 23-20 win.
The Packers and 49ers continued their rivalry throughout the next decade. They met twice in California in 2019, and the second encounter was for the George Halas Trophy. In 2021, they faced off again in a cold, snowy, low-scoring Divisional Round game. The rivalry continued in Jordan Love’s second postseason start, with both teams meeting again in the Golden State. However, the outcome was no different from previous encounters; the 49ers sent Green Bay home for the third time in five seasons.
Brock Purdy and the 49ers are heading to Lambeau Field for a 3:25 p.m. showdown with Jordan Love and the Packers. The 5-5 49ers are coming off a 20-17 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Kyle Shanahan’s offense is struggling. The Niners rank 27th in touchdowns per red zone trip, their run game has been ineffective, and injuries have plagued crucial players. George Kittle and Deebo Samuel have been banged up, and Brandon Aiyuk is out for the season with a torn ACL and MCL.
Despite those setbacks, Brock Purdy is playing the best football of his career and has notably improved as a scrambling quarterback.
Purdy is tied with Jayden Daniels for the NFL lead in scrambles for a first down with 15. He has more rushing yards than Josh Allen and a scramble rate of 10.1%, up from 3.2% and 3.5% in the past two seasons. Purdy’s sack-to-pressure rate has improved to 13.8%, down from 18% and 14.6% in previous years. He’s also sixth in total rush EPA.
Among quarterbacks with at least 50 plays, only Malik Willis, Daniels, and Drake Maye have a higher scramble rate than Purdy. His scramble rate is higher than Justin Fields, Jalen Hurts, and Lamar Jackson.
Purdy has excelled at evading pressure and creating off-schedule plays with his legs. He keeps passing options alive until the last second, often using pump fakes to gain a split-second advantage against defenders.
Brock Purdy with the SICK pump fake and gets the first down 😮💨pic.twitter.com/QDo46V6jt5
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) November 17, 2024
He stays composed under pressure and often exploits gaps inside to scramble. The Packers must force him outside the tackle box. Even then, it’s crucial to maintain discipline until the last second. It’s like playing EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA) against a skilled dribbler: You can’t attack them head-on. Instead, you stay composed and wait for the perfect moment to disarm them. Otherwise, they’ll slip past you.
Seahawks DC Aden Durde on Brock Purdy’s ability to escape pressure:
“He’s a master at it.” pic.twitter.com/h0mR3s5KrG
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) November 15, 2024
Green Bay has effectively limited quarterbacks on the ground this year. They held Jalen Hurts and Trevor Lawrence to 2.5 yards per attempt, Kyler Murray to 2.0 yards per carry, and C.J. Stroud to 19 yards on five carries. However, they allowed Caleb Williams to rush for a career-high last week. The Packers failed to adjust. If not for Karl Brooks blocking a last-second field goal, it would have been their worst loss of the season.
Packers fans could see more of Javon Bullard near the box this week. Jeff Hafley needs a fast spy who can also cover. Edgerrin Cooper could not keep up with Williams’ speed, while Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie are 104th and 121st in coverage grade among qualified off-ball linebackers.
Green Bay’s best chance to contain Purdy is by placing a safety at the second level. Evan Williams is PFF’s eighth-highest-graded safety in coverage and could fill that role. However, Hafley may prefer to use him as a post safety against an offense featuring Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings on the outside.
Among all players on the 49ers offense, Purdy is responsible for the highest pressure percentage. It doesn’t matter who rushes. However, if Green Bay can rush him as a unit and find the best way to apply pressure, Purdy will put himself in a bad situation.
Pressure % responsibility in SF:
LT: 16.7%
LG: 16.5%
C: 14.8%
RG: 15.7
RT: 22.2%
ITE: 1.9%
QB: 23.1% (!!!!!)
Other: 5.6%Forget who is going to pressure Purdy, the key is how the Packers are going to do it.
— Felipe Reis Aceti (@Aceti_Felipe) November 19, 2024
Purdy has the second-highest average time to throw, and Green Bay ranks 29th in pass-rush win rate, per ESPN. It’s not a good matchup in the trenches for the Packers. However, their pass rush plan for mobile passers has worked most of the year. San Francisco’s offense will become one-dimensional if they can neutralize Purdy on the ground. I believe it’s safe to say that Green Bay fans have no desire to see a San Francisco 49ers quarterback running all over their team ever again.
