Brock Purdy’s rapid rise from Mr. Irrelevant to the 49ers’ starting quarterback was one of the most incredible stories in recent NFL history. But five games into the 2023 NFL season, the 23-year-old has taken it to a new level.
Purdy is officially a leading candidate for NFL MVP.
Peter King of NBC Sports currently considers Purdy a leading candidate for the award in February. In his weekly Football Morning In America column, he gave five reasons why.
– Purdy plays quarterback for a winning team. “For the last 10 years and 15 of the last 16 years, a quarterback has won. And in the last 10 years, a quarterback from one of the top two seeds in a conference has won.”
– The statistics. Among the current top two seeds in each conference – San Francisco and Philadelphia in the NFC and Kansas City and Miami in the AFC – Purdy leads the other three quarterbacks in accuracy (72.1 percent), passer rating (123.1) and TD-to-interception ratio (plus-9) and team victory margin (19.8 points per game).
– Undefeated record. In 13 games, Purdy has played at least three quarters under center, and the 49ers are 13-0.
– The 49ers are the most dominant team in the NFL. Purdy leads them to an average of 33.4 points per game under center, second only to the Dolphins, who scored 70 points in a week.
— Setting his dynamic teammates up for success. Purdy isn’t known for his arm strength, but he lets the 49ers’ offensive weapons shine. “Part of having high yards per attempt is having great receivers who run after the catch,” a former NFL quarterback told King. The guy can catch it and run after the catch with ease.
So there you have it. It’s not just the fairytale script or the 49ers’ unmatched offensive system.
Game after game, Purdy proves he is more than just a system quarterback. He could end up being crowned the league’s most valuable player after being taken 261 times in the 2022 NFL Draft.
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