It sounds like the 49ers receivers heard Patrick Peterson’s bold declarations heading into last week’s season opener in Pittsburgh.
Peterson predicted he’d get an interception against Brock Purdy after saying on a podcast that the offense had some “tells” that tipped him off to what was coming. But after Brandon Aiyuk made the veteran Steelers cornerback fall to the turf with a sharp cut and scored a touchdown on the opening drive, he and Deebo Samuel mocked Peterson on the bench.
"Inside the NFL" shared some mic’d up footage from Sunday and revealed the on-field moments for fans, in a video published Tuesday afternoon.
“Left him there,” Aiyuk said.
“I thought he said he had all the tells!” Deebo said.
“C’mon, now,” Aiyuk said. “He ain’t got ‘em.”
So, the concept of bulletin board material isn’t dead in 2023. Now it’s just coming from podcasts instead of newspaper clippings.
Aiyuk and Purdy went on to beat Peterson again with another perfectly-executed back shoulder throw for a second touchdown later in the game, as the 49ers eventually rolled to a 30-7 rout of the Steelers on their home turf.
After the game, Peterson caught up with Purdy and gave him some more encouragement, despite the midweek trash talk.
“You know it wasn’t nothing personal, baby,” Peterson said with a big smile. “Keep doing your thing, baby.”
“I grew up the biggest fan of yours, Purdy said.
Considering Purdy and Peterson met when the quarterback was just a high schooler in Arizona, this show of mutual respect isn’t surprising. It also helps when you serve up a potential future Hall of Famer some humble pie.