Purdy, Shanahan ready for hostile Seattle crowd in 49ers-Seahawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Programming note: Watch “49ers Pregame Live,” with Carlos Ramirez, Donte Whitner and Rod Brooks, at 4 p.m. on NBC Sports Bay Area for a complete preview of the Thanksgiving showdown with the Seahawks, and come back for “49ers Postgame Live” immediately following the game.
As the 49ers prepare to take on the Seattle Seahawks in a Thanksgiving matchup, one of the biggest challenges facing San Francisco is the famously hostile environment awaiting them at Lumen Field.
The first road start of Brock Purdy’s NFL career came in front of Seattle’s raucous crowd, with the young quarterback displaying tremendous poise as the 49ers defeated the Seahawks 21-13 to clinch the 2022 NFC West title.
On Tuesday, Purdy detailed how crucial attention to detail will be for a 49ers team playing in a stadium that has historically been a house of horrors for San Francisco.
“It’s a great environment, hostile environment, and so it’s just more about being on top of your details, the pre-snap operation, speaking clearly in the huddle, breaking the huddle on time, making sure we’re all on the right page with the snap points and all that stuff,” Purdy told reporters ahead of Thursday’s matchup. “So, it’s crucial, especially when you’re in that kind of environment.
“There’s a lot of easy ways to get distracted, and that crowd is obviously going to do what they can to try to get us offbeat. And so, yeah, it’s one of those games where every single play matters. Everybody has to be paying attention to detail because if not, you’ll slip up, and it won’t be pretty.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan shared the importance of Purdy’s previous experience playing at Lumen Field, citing how critical the first-hand experience is to understanding how loud the venue is on game days.
“It’s real valuable. I mean, he’s been to some loud places, too, but Seattle is always right there as the loudest, if not tied for it,” Shanahan explained. “You can always tell people how loud it is, but they don’t know until they go there, and he went there, so he knows what we’re talking about. I don’t have to stress the importance of it to him. He’s going to be doing it to our guys for these two days.”
“It’s one of those games where every single play matters.”
Shanahan and Purdy detail how they’re preparing for a hostile environment in Seattle pic.twitter.com/RrR1DK0Lub
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) November 21, 2023
This year’s matchup in Seattle bears a striking resemblance to San Francisco’s visit last season, with both games coming on a Thursday night with massive implications on the NFC West title race.
In Purdy’s only start in Seattle, the 49ers’ quarterback was 17 of 26 for 217 yards and a pair of touchdowns while also taking care of the football with zero turnovers.
A victory on Thursday night would mark the first time San Francisco has won back-to-back games in Seattle since the Seahawks moved to the NFC West in 2002 and the first time they’ve ever accomplished the feat in consecutive seasons.
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