Brock Purdy is in the form of his career and a legitimate MVP candidate throughout the first month of the season, and it took one half of the worst game so far to really showcase why he deserves the accolades.
One month into the season, and the San Francisco 49ers sit atop a pedestal that was probably being reserved for their archrivals in the Los Angeles Rams.
Read More: 4 stats that prove 49ers are in a class of their own after 4 weeks
A 4-0 record, considered widely one of the best teams if not the best team in football, and a quarterback who's been showered in accolades and is well in the MVP conversation.
It just took the second half of what was his worst game of the season so far.
At halftime against the Denver Broncos, it seemed like a defensive struggle until star Denver cornerback Patrick Surtain exited the game. Purdy would immediately step up and get the offense humming, icing the game with a touchdown pass to George Kittle, where admittedly, Kittle did most of the work and gave the box store a bump that was appreciated.
But it was the win over a tough defense (albeit without Surtain) that finally got Purdy over the hump with the NFL media. Wins over Arizona and Miami weren't going to move the needle, and the Rams in Australia was being treated less as a masterclass on the part of the 49ers and more the Rams not taking it seriously enough.
Niners fans can take some amusement on the superlatives going his way, though, given Purdy has been doing all the things he's been doing this year for several seasons now. Maybe a touch more safe with the football, admittedly, but the ball skills he's showing at quarterback didn't just pop up over the last four games.
But even the NFL itself is taking notice, with superlatives coming thick and fast on the NFLs MVP tracker, pointing out his advanced metrics as well as his ability to avoid being sacked this season:
"Sunday’s outing against Denver wasn’t his best of the year, but did little to take the shine off. Purdy still hasn’t been sacked this season. If we’re willing to say sacks are a QB stat when blaming players who take them in droves, we should credit Purdy’s uncanny ability to shake free and avoid negative plays. Avoiding disaster has been a Purdy specialty through four weeks. He’s thrown two touchdowns without an interception for the third straight week. He also became the first 49ers QB to start the season with multiple touchdowns in each of the first four games since Steve Young in 1998 (seven straight), per NFL Research.NFL.com
Purdy has used keen accuracy to blow away the rest of the QBs through the start of the season. He’s No. 1 in passer rating (126.2), QBR (89.6) and net yards per attempt (8.9). His EPA per dropback of 0.53 is by far the top (Lamar Jackson is No. 2 at 0.29), and his success rate of 60.7% is best among QBs with at least 100 dropbacks. There is nary an advanced stat Purdy isn’t dominating right now."
Brock Purdy can double down on MVP convo in Week 5 vs. Seahawks
Purdy now has a big opportunity coming up when the 49ers travel to Seattle to take on the reigning NFL champions. If he plays well against the vaunted Seahawks defense, even in a loss, then he's answered questions on replicating this against a great defense.
And whether you believe in the idea of quarterback wins as a true stat or not, there's nothing wrong with having wins over the Rams, Broncos and Seahawks on the resume after five weeks.
While there's still 13 games left to determine if Purdy can obtain the highest individual honor in the sport, he's certainly one his way to become the first Niners player to be MVP since Steve Young in 1994.
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