It took exactly one week for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy to forcibly insert himself into the MVP conversation. After his stellar Week 1 performance against the Los Angeles Rams, Purdy moved up to fifth in the rankings behind Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Caleb Williams, and Joe Burrow.
His shortened odds were largely a product of who he was playing. The Rams were the Super Bowl favorites coming into the season, and the QB had his way with them from start to finish. In Week 2, however, he might struggle to continue the trend for a few reasons.
On Sunday, the 49ers will host the Miami Dolphins in an afternoon showdown. Unfortunately, the nature of the matchup might make it impossible for Purdy to elevate his name among MVP candidates, and it has nothing to do with his own individual skill set.
Another big performance from Brock Purdy won't impress voters
It's not that Brock Purdy isn't in line for another crisp outing. Quite the opposite, actually. The very nature of the game has Purdy primed for success. However, it is because of this very expectation that his inevitable domination will hardly move the needle.
The Dolphins are coming off a loss to the lowly Raiders in which they allowed three touchdowns to the 38-year-old Kirk Cousins. The Miami defense looked inept, as expected. They are in full rebuild mode and are fully expected to finish 2026 with one of the worst records in the league.
Therefore, Purdy should light up the scoreboard. Given their opponent, it's hard to imagine this San Francisco offense not having their way on Sunday. Purdy will almost certainly be at the heart of the scoring, and no one will bat an eye.
49ers are well-positioned to not need Brock Purdy against Dolphins
The 49ers enter the contest as 13.5-point favorites, easily the widest spread of the entire Week 2 slate. Game script will not favor the passing game. Christian McCaffrey, however, is set up for a vintage game. Even backup running back Kaelon Black should find plenty of holes to run through in the trenches.
For context, Cousins only threw for 160 yards in Las Vegas' Week 1 win thanks to a comfortable lead for most of the second half. Bellcow back Ashton Jeanty, on the other hand, piled up 102 yards on the ground, as the Raiders ran the clock out for the better part of 25 minutes.
The Raiders entered the season with a 5.5 projected win total, according to ESPN. They hardly looked like the type of team capable of blowing out their opponents. But they took care of the Dolphins handily, and one can only imagine what Brock Purdy and his high-powered offense will be able to do. If the contest gets out of hand early, the 49ers will simply not need Brock Purdy to do much of anything. If that's the case, he will accomplish little in the way of building his MVP resume.
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