San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is enjoying arguably the best start to a season of his NFL career. Through two games, Purdy has thrown for 492 yards, five touchdowns, and an interception, while completing a league-high 80.8 percent of his passes and averaging 8.8 yards per attempt.
Purdy has been very sharp with his decisions and has made a number of impressive throws in both of the 49ers’ first two games, being the catalyst of the offense so far. Over his four-year NFL career, we’ve seen Purdy gradually take the next step, with turnover-worthy plays being his primary issue.
Advertisement
Well, as he’s taken on more responsibility for the offense, Purdy has continued to flourish, and he’s in the early running for the MVP race. Several NFL analysts are taking notice.
That includes former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, who said this week that no quarterback in the NFL is playing like Brock Purdy so far.
“Yeah, [anticipating throws is important] very much so in that Kyle Shanahan offense as well,” Orlovsky said on ESPN this week. “And Brock is the ideal guy to operate it. There’s no quarterback in the NFL playing football the way that Brock Purdy is right now. As fast as you can be up top and as calm and almost as slow as you can be neck down.
“When I talk about seeing blindly, one underneath the center, 7-step drop, free runner essentially because McCaffrey‘s got to go there. Look at his feet, slow to fast to slow. He sees somehow as he gets backside to really the number 4 that the dropped coverage releases George Kittle. There it is, beautiful. Underneath the center, drop back once again. Look at this, because no one’s accounting for that linebacker, here comes another free runner. Offensive line has got their 5. Quarterback has to beat it from underneath the center. This is not normal. There’s the soft spot in the defense, a little bit of congestion in the middle of the field between Evans and Juszczyk. Ball still comes out. He doesn’t see those guys. He just sees space. This is the fullback.
Advertisement
Breaking down plays, Orlovsky pointed out how Purdy has been throwing to spots, anticipating well and processing at a high level, which is why he’s playing at a level of his own so far this season.
“Okay, this play is absolutely nuts,” Orlovsky continued. “Short motion, the halfback out there. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 [step drop]. As he does that, the halfback pulls the underneath coverage. The receiver lifts the deep coverage. He’s throwing this ball to a fullback that is only about 6 feet. He doesn’t see Juszczyk. He just sees the vacated space right there in between those defenders. Josh Allen‘s playing remarkable football, and there’s a lot of quarterbacks playing a high level. Nobody is playing the way that Brock Purdy is.”
So far, Purdy is first in the NFL in QBR, first in completion rate, and he’s yet to take a sack, despite being pressured 15 times. That completion rate would be even better if not for four drops. Whether he’s been blitzed or not, Purdy has completed at least 80 percent of his passes. It’s been quite the start for him and the 49ers offense through two weeks.
Now, of course, it’s only been two weeks. But Purdy is the top reason right now why the 49ers look like contenders.
