For a team decimated by injuries, the San Francisco 49ers‘ success often comes down to one thing: the unscripted magic of Brock Purdy. In their 12th win of the season, that magic was on full display, as he showed extraordinary resilience by scrambling in the crucial moments, turning plays into scoring chances. And Kyle Shanahan took notice.

“It’s huge. Brock moved the chains with his legs a few times, and then he bought time a number of times to get some big plays down the field. One was the touchdown to Juice. Having a quarterback who can do things off-schedule is a huge part of our success,” Shanahan said in the post-game press conference.

The game was exciting from the first play. On the first play of the game from scrimmage from SF 24, Purdy threw the ball on his right to receiver Jauan Jennings. But cornerback Jaylon Johnson pushed the receiver away as the ball wobbled from his hand and landed straight into the hands of linebacker TJ Edwards, who took off from the right before cutting to his left for a pick-six.

Even Kyle Shanahan couldn’t believe it, as Purdy equalized the score on the team’s next drive. He stamped his dominance on the last drive of the first quarter with his scrambling ability. With less than five minutes remaining in the first quarter, Brock Purdy got the snap at the Chicago Bears’ 10 on a 1st & goal.

He faked handing over the ball to the running back Bijan Robinson Jr. before turning left and running into the end zone, successfully evading the tackle by the defensive end Austin Booker.

With this achievement, he became the first quarterback in NFL history to score a passing and rushing touchdown along with a pick-six in the first quarter. In the last three games before Week 17, he has recorded an 83.5% adjusted completion rate, 758 passing yards, 9 touchdowns, and around 131.5 passer rating.

Besides that, Purdy’s scrambling ability shone in the third quarter with almost five minutes remaining. Once he got the snap on the 1st & goal at the Chicago 6, he ran to his left. The QB first evaded a tackle from Booker before evading another tackle from defensive tackle Andrew Billings. He held the ball for 8.24 seconds before tossing it to Kyle Juszczyk, who was already in the end zone. According to NextGen Stats, it was the second-longest snap-to-pass time on a TD of Purdy’s career.

His performance helped them win 42-38, even while the injury concerns have worried the head coach. The Niners are still in a tough spot.

Kyle Shanahan needs to do better in injury management

Though the 49ers have fought valiantly and have a 12-4 record after 17 weeks, their campaign has often hit roadblocks. Tight end George Kittle came out of the Week 16 game against the Indianapolis Colts with an ankle injury. He missed the Week 17 game with a questionable designation. He also missed four games earlier in the season. There are plenty of other injured players.

Linebacker Fred Warner injured his ankle during the Week 6 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has missed every regular-season game since then, but could return for the playoffs. But the defensive end Nick Bosa is out. He suffered an ACL injury in the Week 3 win against the Arizona Cardinals.

While both players are being monitored, Kyle Shanahan needs to be alert about Purdy and receiver Ricky Pearsall. The quarterback missed six games with turf toe. The sophomore is also dealing with knee and ankle issues and was questionable for the Week 17 game.

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All these issues could cast a shadow over their playoff run. They will play for the NFC number 1 seed against the Seattle Seahawks in the season finale. If everything plays out according to Shanahan’s plan, they might go all the way to Super Bowl LX at their home.