Purdy perfect — like Joe and Steve
He had thrown his first interception. Worse, the 49ers lost. And lost again. Then lost again. The skeptics couldn’t be silenced. Maybe, they told us this was the real Brock Purdy, not the kid who unexpectedly captured games and media attention.
Whatever, the Brock Purdy who showed up Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, was as real, effective and efficient a quarterback as anyone ever.
In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him perfect because that’s what his rating was — perfect, 158.3 out of a possible 158.3. The last time that was accomplished by someone wearing a 49ers uniform —actually, somebodies—was in 1989, and the somebodies were named Joe Montana and Steve Young.
Who would both be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Not bad company.
Of the 25 passes Purdy unleashed only four were not caught. The figures included 333 yards and three touchdowns.
We know football is very much a team sport and that an NFL squad has more than 50 athletes. Yet, isn’t it amazing how the best teams have the best quarterbacks?
Asked about Purdy’s play against the Bucks as San Francisco improved to a 7-3 record, the best in the NFC West, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said merely, “He had a hell of a game.
Halfback Christian McCaffrey was no less enthusiastic. “Brock has been great every game,” said McCaffrey.
Not quite, but if a player feels compelled to offer a teammate high praise, that’s quite understandable. And acceptable.
“He’s got to be in the MVP conversation with those numbers,” Niners star linebacker Fred Warner said after checking out Purdy’s stats following Sunday’s victory, which left the 49ers (7-3) a game ahead of the Seahawks — their opponent Thursday night in Seattle — in the NFC West. “It’s unbelievable the way he’s playing. He’s having an All-Pro, Pro Bowl-type of year.”
And at the end, of all the numbers on the screen, the only ones that count are those of the final score. Yes, the Niners won Sunday, defeating the semi-good Tampa Bay 27-14.
On the other side, both symbolically and literally, is the man who played competently at quarterback for the Buccaneers, Baker Mayfield. Mayfield was first pick overall in the 2018 draft, by Cleveland, and now is with his fourth team. Purdy, as we are too well aware, was the last pick in the 2022 draft.
The Niners play at Seattle on Thanksgiving and then play the Philadelphia Eagles, arguably the best team in the NFC. Purdy’s doubters are poised. No less important is the defense for the opening days of the season, the area that was the strength of the team.
Then, with Purdy, McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle, the 49ers went from a team that stopped others to one that others couldn’t itself be stopped.
Other than three weeks.