SEATTLE -- With only three days off to try to get back to full strength, San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy didn't do much of anything.
In Sunday's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Purdy suffered a painful rib and oblique injury, which had his status for Thursday night's clash with the Seattle Seahawks in doubt. At each of the Niners' three practices this week, Purdy was simply a vessel transferring the ball to the running backs by way of handoffs. He didn't throw a pass until Thursday morning at the team's walk-through in the ballroom of the Bellevue (Washington) Marriott hotel.
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan had already departed for Lumen Field by then, but his confidence in his rookie quarterback has grown so much in the past couple of weeks that he didn't need to worry. Shanahan kept an eye on Purdy in limited warmup reps, then started him against the Seahawks with little clue if he would need veteran Josh Johnson to take over.
"He's definitely the most poised rookie I've ever had," Shanahan said. "He's been like that since he's gotten here. ... Even him being unsure of whether he'd be able to go or not, I think that was uneasy for him because he didn't know what to expect until he got in the game. Under the circumstances, we didn't have any other options or choice. [We were] going to see how long he could last and ready to go with Josh. But he got comfortable and got better as the game went. It was pretty unbelievable."
Purdy's meteoric rise up San Francisco's depth chart has been surpassed only by his ability to continue checking boxes. Purdy proved capable of filling in for injured starter Jimmy Garoppolo on short notice against the Miami Dolphins in Week 13.
He showed he could handle a start and produce against the Bucs. On Thursday, an injured Purdy walked into one of the most difficult environments in the NFL on a short week and helped carve up the Seahawks as the 49ers clinched the NFC West with a 21-13 win.
Purdy will face many more challenges in the weeks to come, and it's way too soon to make sweeping declarations about his long-term future as the 49ers' quarterback. For now, we know this: Purdy hasn't flinched at any test brought his way and passed each of them with flying colors.
"I couldn't even tell he was hurting," defensive end Nick Bosa said. "I've seen other quarterbacks around the league who have had similar things with the ribs, and I've dealt with it before. It's brutal. So for him to not show any pain in his face and just his mannerisms and everything, it says a lot about who he is."
Purdy finished 17-of-26 passing for 217 yards and two touchdowns for a passer rating of 117.0. He again didn't throw any interceptions, though he was fortunate that Seattle safety Quandre Diggs dropped one just before the half.
In two starts, Purdy has completed 70% of his attempts with four touchdown passes. Only two other quarterbacks -- Aaron Rodgers and Garoppolo -- have hit those marks in their first two career starts since 1950.
Despite that production, Purdy's finest moment might have come on a 1-yard run. Facing third-and-1 at the Niners' 34 with 2:42 to play, Shanahan called for Purdy to hit running back Christian McCaffrey in the flat. McCaffrey was covered and Purdy instantly recognized an opportunity to scramble. Purdy raced for the first-down marker and chose to slide. He slid a little too soon, but before he went down, he extended the ball far enough for a first down, essentially putting the game away.
It was a gutsy play by a rookie, especially one dealing with injuries.
"I think it was sort of going through my mind," Purdy said. "This whole week it was, man, do your part in terms of getting the ball out, stay safe, try not to take any unnecessary hits. In that moment I thought I had the guy beat well enough so that I could slide right when I got past the sticks. It was a little close. The competitive side of me says just dive headfirst, get it quick whether it hurts or not, try to win in that kind of moment. I'm glad we got the first down either way."
The one upside to playing on a short week is that it's always followed by extra time off. The Niners don't play again until Dec. 24, when they host the Washington Commanders, which should allow Purdy some much-needed time to heal. And if he can't throw again, at least Shanahan knows he can count on Purdy to fight through the pain and deliver, again.
"[We] were just going to see how long it lasted," Shanahan said. "It lasted all game."
Just like Purdy's early success: Nobody knows how long it's going to last, but the 49ers are going to ride with him as long as they can.