49ers’ Brock Purdy looks to see past Vikings’ “illusion fest” defense, avenge last year’s mistakes
SANTA CLARA – One former 49ers’ scout-team quarterback takes on another Sunday in Minnesota. Yes, it’s Brock Purdy facing off against last season’s backup, Sam Darnold.
While Darnold is now the Vikings’ heralded starter after Sunday’s opening rout of the New York Giants, Purdy is in actuality opposing one of the NFL’s most aggressive and beguiling defensive schemes. The Vikings, after all, defeated him last October with two interceptions late in the 49ers’ 22-17 loss.
“Minnesota, they’re sort of an illusion fest,” Purdy said Thursday. “They want to make it seem they’re doing this, then (bam), it’s post-snap and they’re dropping eight (defenders) in to every which way.
“They do a lot. It’s hard for us to just grasp exactly what they’re doing,” Purdy added. “A lot of it is dropping back post-snap, seeing the safeties, who’s coming, who’s not, and where I need to go with the ball from there.”
When Purdy drops back Sunday (12 p.m. CT kickoff), he will have Trent Williams protecting his blind side, unlike last October when Williams did not suit up because of an ankle injury. Deebo Samuel also missed that game due to his own injury (shoulder) from the previous week’s loss in Cleveland.
“Having Trent back in with just his dominance and force, you can feel it. To have him back is great, and Deebo, as well,” Purdy said.
Whether Christian McCaffrey makes his season debut Sunday or sits out a second straight game will dictate how the Vikings’ defense approaches the 49ers’ offense — an offense that still pinned 32 points on the New York Jets in an opening-night win as Jordan Mason racked up 147 yards in place of McCaffrey.
McCaffrey remained limited in practice Thursday, as was the case last week before he was listed as questionable and ultimately ruled out 90 minutes before Monday’s kickoff. “When he’s not out there, it doesn’t necessarily simplify things for the defense, but it’s a component they don’t have to handle, so they can focus on George, B.A. and Deebo,” Purdy said.
In Monday’s 32-19 win over the New York Jets, Purdy completed 19-of-29 passes for 231 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, plus an 11-yard scramble. After a three-and-out opening series, Purdy produced scoring drives on all eight of his remaining possessions, six of which ended with Jake Moody field goals.
The Vikings also opened with a lopsided win against a New York team, routing the host Giants 28-6 Sunday. Minnesota’s defense sacked quarterback Daniel Jones five times, forced two interceptions and limited him to 186 passing yards (22-of-44), all of which put Purdy on notice to expect a rude welcoming in Minneapolis, a place where the 49ers have lost seven straight games since a 1992 win.
“Trying to create momentum in a place like that, it’s not easy to win there,” Purdy said.
A year ago there, Purdy tried in vain to engineer a fourth-quarter comeback, only to lose 22-17 in a Week 7, Monday night affair. Purdy threw an interception in Minnesota territory by safety Cam Bynum, a Cal product, on the 49ers’ final two possessions. Purdy exhibited concussion symptoms on the flight home and cleared the NFL’s protocol to start the ensuing game, a home loss to Cincinnati.
Purdy does have some positive mojo with Minnesota. In 2022 training camp, he excelled in joint practices with the Vikings and fared well enough in the preseason game to lock down the No. 3 job, although he says he looks back at that preseason game now and says it’s “pretty funny” to watch him read the Vikings defense. Now he’ll try to have the last laugh Sunday.
LENOIR ON DARNOLD
Because Darnold’s duties last season involved scout-team work against the 49ers’ first-string defenders, he knows them — and vice versa. So who wins that game within the game?
“I win that for sure,” cornerback Deommodore Lenoir said. “Because me and Sam, we had this connection. He liked to throw the ball to me. This week, I’m coming, he knows it.”
Lenoir is in his fourth season, so he could also speak on facing Purdy’s scout-team work as a rookie in 2022 before his stunning ascension to franchise savior. Lenoir did not have that same “connection” in picking off Purdy.
“He was actually throwing dimes. I respected him because he was throwing dimes,” Lenoir recalled. “He was throwing the pill. I would get him sometimes, but he would throw the ball and it was like, ‘Wow.’ ”
Lenoir’s growth showed up Monday night when his pass breakup led to Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles’ intercepiton of Aaron Rodgers. Lenoir said he correctly interpreted Rodgers’ pre-snap signal (juggling) as an upcoming “circus” route.
“It felt great because I got him back. He sat me down my rookie year,” Lenoir recalled of Rodgers’ 2021 victory with Green Bay.
PRACTICE RETURNS
Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos (right knee) and linebacker Dee Winters (ankle) practiced for the first time since injuries in the Aug. 23 preseason finale at Las Vegas. Also participating were left guard Aaron Banks (calf, pinky) and wide receiver Jauan Jennings (ankle).
Vikings safety Harrison Smith (hip) was added to the injury report and did not practice, nor did wide receiver Jordan Addison (ankle). Linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (foot) returned to practice in limited work, which is also what the Vikings got from center Garrett Bradbury (knee) and right tackle Brian O’Neill (elbow).
WILLIAMS SHAPING UP
Left tackle Trent Williams is rapidly getting into shape after requiring two intravenous-fluid treatments Monday because he only practiced one week following an offseason-long contract dispute.
“He seems right back where he should be,” offensive line coach Chris Foerster said.
Williams didn’t go that far, saying: “I don’t feel great yet. I’m not going to cancel the idea of needing another IV but hopefully the one before the game will suffice.”
Williams missed only two snaps in the opener, to which Foerster said: “Trent’s smart and knows when to go hard. There was some rust that needed to be knocked off. He really only missed two plays, and I didn’ think he’d go back in, and then he was running back in like a kid.”