Brock Purdy has moved to the front of the NFL MVP race, and it happened after a Sunday night win that wasn’t his sharpest performance.
DraftKings listed Purdy at +280 to win MVP after the 49ers beat Seattle, putting him ahead of Josh Allen, who sits at +300. Patrick Mahomes is next at +600. It’s the first time all season that Allen has not been the favorite, according to ESPN Insights.
Purdy did enough against the Seahawks to keep San Francisco unbeaten, and that’s the bigger part of the story. He’s now thrown for 1,196 yards, 13 touchdowns and two interceptions while posting a 119.3 passer rating.
The numbers are strong, but the context matters too. Purdy is doing it with a receiving group built around aging veterans who were moved on from elsewhere, including Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel. He also has George Kittle, who is less than a year removed from tearing his Achilles, and Christian McCaffrey in the backfield.
For a while, Purdy’s reputation centered on the idea that he was simply being lifted by Kyle Shanahan’s system in San Francisco. Now, in his fourth year, he’s showing that he can be one of the league’s most reliable passers on a consistent basis.
Allen gets a chance to answer on Monday night against the Rams. But after Purdy guided the 49ers past a division opponent and into the top spot in the MVP odds, this race suddenly looks like his to lose.
It’s still early, but it’s a striking place for Purdy to be - especially considering where plenty of doubters once thought he’d never end up.
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