After three weeks, Brock Purdy has already forced his way into the MVP discussion.
That talk picked up fast when Dan Orlovsky went on the Pat McAfee Show and said he believes no quarterback is playing better right now than the San Francisco 49ers starter.
“No quarterback in football is playing as well as Brock,” said Orlovsky. “The offense gets to excel with the way that he is playing. He also has so many off-script plays that get overlooked so often.“
McAfee made the case too, saying Purdy could be headed for his first MVP push if this pace holds.
“This might be Purdy's year of winning it,” said McAfee on the MVP conversation. “All he has done is continue to dissect and beat the hell out of defenses. Brock Purdy is playing on another level right now.”
Purdy’s numbers back up the buzz. He is second among qualified quarterbacks in completion rate behind Geno Smith.
He ranks eighth in yards, but he is second in yards per attempt, trailing only Lamar Jackson. The catch is that San Francisco has been scoring so quickly that Purdy simply has not needed to pile up huge volume.
What does stand out is the efficiency. Purdy leads the NFL with nine touchdown passes and has thrown only one interception, giving him the best TD-to-INT ratio in the league.
There’s also a fair counterargument, and it starts with the early schedule. The Rams are a good defense and should have strong outings this season, but their trip to Australia has been under the microscope, with Sean McVay himself saying they were not smart.
After that, Los Angeles matched up with the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals, two teams that rank in the bottom five in efficiency. Part of that comes from playing the 49ers, but both defenses have had issues outside those games too.
The Dolphins gave up 24 to the Chiefs at home and allowed Kirk Cousins and the Las Vegas Raiders to score 27. The Cardinals were helped by an injury to Ladd McConkey in Week 1 and then surrendered 31 to Drew Lock and the Seattle Seahawks the following week.
So yes, Purdy has been sharp, and the film supports it. But he has also faced opponents he should have been able to put away. Week 4 should tell us a lot more, because that’s when he runs into a talented Denver Broncos defense.
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