Brock Purdy has opened the 2026 season the way the 49ers would want: fast, sharp, and in complete control. He was strong in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams and followed that with a nearly flawless showing in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins.
That has been enough to move even some of Purdy’s old skeptics. Colin Cowherd, long counted among the critics, is now coming around on No.
- But the doubters who have stayed dug in still have a case they can lean on if they want to argue that Purdy is overhyped or that the first two weeks were just a short-lived run.
The Week 1 performance came with a built-in escape hatch for Los Angeles. A lot of the NFL had already penciled the Rams into the Super Bowl, but the game was played in Australia, giving the Rams a convenient excuse. Sean McVay did at least accept some blame for the team’s late arrival in Melbourne, and there will surely be chatter that the 49ers will have to beat the “real” Rams when the teams meet again in Week 15.
Week 2 gave Purdy another chance to shine, and he took it. The Dolphins, though, are so limited that they would probably be fortunate to win three games this season. Miami was not much of a measuring stick, and that leaves Purdy open to the old refrain: “do it against a real team.”
That is why Week 3 is unlikely to settle anything, even if Purdy plays well. The 49ers face the Arizona Cardinals, and while Arizona showed in Week 1 that it can pull off an upset, San Francisco still should be the favorite on paper.
The real pressure points arrive in Weeks 4 and 5, when Purdy goes against the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks. Denver was a good team last season and should again bring a strong defense on paper, making it a meaningful test for Purdy and the 49ers offense.
Seattle is the bigger one.
The Seahawks held Purdy and San Francisco to three points in Week 18 last season, then kept the 49ers to just six points in the playoff rematch two weeks later. That is exactly the kind of evidence the “Mike Macdonald has the 49ers’ number” crowd is waiting to use.
If Purdy keeps putting up numbers, the talk will shift. If he struggles against Denver or Seattle, the familiar doubts will come roaring back, along with the argument that he can light up weaker teams like the Dolphins or the Tennessee Titans but has a tougher time against defenses that can really challenge him.
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49ers Suddenly Linked To A High-Upside WR Gamble
Marvin Harrison Jr.s NFL start has not matched the kind of lofty expectations that followed him into the league, and the early part of the 2026 season has only added to the frustration around his development in Arizona. For a player who arrived with major pedigree, the conversation has shifted from instant stardom to whether a change of scenery might be the best way to reset the trajectory.
For the 49ers, the fit is easy to understand. Their wide receiver room is getting older, and San Francisco has reasons to keep looking for younger, high-upside talent as it tries to stay ahead of the curve. Harrisons struggles make him a gamble, but they also make him the kind of name that naturally pops up when a contender starts weighing whether it can buy low on a former premium prospect. [Read more 🡒]
Brock Purdy Just Reignited A 49ers Debate Fans Know Too Well
Brock Purdys latest stretch has only strengthened the way the 49ers offense is being viewed, with back-to-back victories and a connection with George Kittle that PFF tracking says has become the most efficient quarterback-tight end duo in NFL history. For a team that has spent years cycling through debates about who best fits the job under center, Purdys steady play has given San Francisco a clear answer on the field, especially in the way he has consistently found Kittle and kept the offense moving.
Claire Kittles social media note of gratitude for Purdy added a new layer to the discussion, because some fans immediately read it as a swipe at former 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The post itself is just part of the noise that follows any quarterback conversation in San Francisco, but it also says plenty about where the team stands now: Purdy has earned a level of trust that Garoppolo never quite matched, and the reaction around that reality shows the old debate is still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Have More Riding On Sunday Than Just A 3-0 Start
A 3-0 start is about more than a clean early record, and for the 49ers it would mean joining a small but meaningful tier of teams that have a much better track record of turning September momentum into January football. Over the past decade, the numbers have favored clubs that leave the first three weeks unbeaten, with those teams far more likely to reach the playoffs and advance deeper than the ones sitting at 2-1 or 1-2.
San Francisco is in position to stake its claim to that group, and the timing matters because the race for playoff seeding often starts before most teams are ready to admit it. The Seahawks are also in the mix for the same kind of early statement, but for the 49ers the broader point is simple: Sunday is about more than staying perfect, it is about improving the path ahead in a conference where every small edge can matter later on. [Read more 🡒]