Brock Purdy has made the NFL’s early MVP conversation look a lot simpler than it should.
Through three weeks, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback is stacking up production that’s hard to brush aside. He has the Niners off to a 3-0 start, and he’s doing it while working with a depleted receiver group.
That combination has pushed the former Mr. Irrelevant into the center of the league’s biggest individual race.
The numbers are doing plenty of the talking. Purdy is averaging 0.61 EPA per play, which leads the league by a wide margin.
No quarterback has finished a full season above 0.27 EPA per play over the last four years, and the next-best mark this season is 0.44. He also leads all qualifying quarterbacks in success rate, total passing EPA and passing touchdowns.
On top of that, he’s the only quarterback with more than 50 dropbacks who has not been sacked.
That surge matters even more because of how the race looked entering Week 3. Purdy and Josh Allen had been running side by side in the MVP discussion, but Allen’s three-turnover outing against a struggling Los Angeles Chargers team knocked him back. Purdy, meanwhile, kept rolling.
Against the Arizona Cardinals, he turned in another clean performance, throwing four touchdown passes and averaging 11 yards per attempt in San Francisco’s win. It was the kind of outing that only strengthens the argument that he’s been the league’s most efficient quarterback so far.
What stands out most is how Purdy is getting it done. He’s playing with more anticipation, more command and more creativity than at any other point in his career. And even as the injuries keep piling up around him, he’s still moving the ball with ease.
Kyle Shanahan’s system gives him help, no doubt. Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle are there when the 49ers need a play, and the offensive line has done a solid job keeping Purdy upright.
But that support doesn’t erase what he’s doing. It just frames how well he’s handling everything around him.
Will this level last all season? Probably not.
But MVPs don’t need to be perfect from start to finish. Right now, Purdy’s case is loud enough to ignore at your own risk.
In Other News...
49ers Turn To A Familiar Name As Receiver Depth Gets Tested
The 49ers are turning to a familiar face for some added help at wide receiver after Mike Evans went down with a rib injury. Dante Pettis, a former second-round pick by San Francisco in 2018, tried out for the team and is set to rejoin the roster, giving the 49ers a player who already knows the building and the demands that come with it.
Pettis has bounced around the league since his first stint in San Francisco, with stops on multiple NFL teams along the way. For a 49ers group that needs reliable depth, the move brings in a receiver with some history in the system and a chance to fill a needed spot while the wider picture at the position remains in flux. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Injury Report Suddenly Raises A Bigger Week 4 Concern
The first practice report of the week gave the 49ers a familiar mix of caution and concern, with eight players sitting out as San Francisco began turning its attention to Denver. Christian McCaffrey was among the names on the list, though his absence was part of the teams usual rest pattern rather than a new setback, and the 49ers are trying to handle several nagging issues without letting them linger into the rest of the schedule.
Brandon Aiyuk, Dre Greenlaw and Javon White were also among those held out, dealing with injuries that range from rib and quad contusions to hamstring and knee problems. With the Broncos game first on the board and more important matchups waiting beyond it, the real concern for San Francisco is less about one missed practice than how many of these players can be managed safely without creating a bigger problem later in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Watkins Made His Case But The 49ers Just Complicated It
Jordan Watkins gave the 49ers something to think about in a hurry. After being inactive for the first two games, the rookie came back and made the most of his opportunity, finishing with two catches for 60 yards in a showing that fit neatly with what Kyle Shanahan has said he wants from his receivers. Shanahan praised Watkins for the way he ran routes, secured catches and contributed in the run game, all the little details that can help a young wideout earn trust quickly.
Still, the path forward is not exactly clear. San Francisco recently brought back Dante Pettis, adding another name to a receiver room where every snap can matter for a player trying to stick, and Watkins now has to keep building on a promising outing rather than simply live off it. For a player who just forced his way into the conversation, the next stretch may say a lot about whether this was a breakthrough or just the start of the battle. [Read more 🡒]