Chiefs defensive coordinator doubles down on praise for Brock Purdy

Steve Spagnuolo won't hesitate showering praise upon Brock Purdy even though his Chiefs defense frustrated the 49ers signal-caller in the Super Bowl.

Very few San Francisco 49ers fans can take solace from what went down in Super Bowl 58 between their team and the eventual Lombardi Trophy-winning Kansas City Chiefs.

Especially since it was the second time the Niners lost the NFL's championship bout to KC.

However, the game turned into a watershed moment for quarterback Brock Purdy, who was capping off his first full year as a starter in the wake of being the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Purdy, fairly or not, still has a long way to go when it comes to shaking off the association of being a last player drafted. But, in that game at least, San Francisco's franchise signal-caller earned the unquestioned respect of Kansas City's standout defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo.

Spagnuolo wasted no effort praising Purdy all offseason, highlighting how the quarterback forced the Chiefs defense to shake things up throughout the Super Bowl.

Even then, as Spags pointed out, Purdy "didn't flinch."

With Purdy and the 49ers poised to take on KC in Week 7 in what'll be something of a Super Bowl 58 rematch, Spagnuolo is back to reminding folks why Purdy is so special.

Steve Spagnuolo on Brock Purdy: 'I can't find a weakness in this quarterback'

Speaking to reporters in advance of the Week 7 showdown at Levi's Stadium, Spagnuolo again showered praise upon Purdy, including initial impressions from 2022 and even recollections from the Super Bowl last February.

But it's what the coordinator said about his preparations for Sunday's game that stands out the most.

"It's going to start up front and stop in the run and hopefully we can get the quarterback not to be in timing like he is, because I can't find a weakness in this quarterback," Spagnuolo said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. "Every time I put the film on, I'm more and more impressed."

Many analysts and pundits have argued Purdy is playing the best football of his young career despite the Niners owning a 3-3 record coming into Week 7.

And the fact he has a league-best 13.5 yards-per-completion rate despite San Francisco ranking dead last in yards after the catch debunks the notion he's a "dink and dunk" quarterback.

"We're never going to go into a game and not blitz at all because we're fearful of it, but I think we do have to respect the fact that he knows exactly what to do with the football," the blitz-happy coordinator continued. "To me, the most impressive thing is even if it wasn't getting it out quick on a blitz, he has a unique way of getting away from it."

Purdy's Niners square off against Spagnuolo and the Chiefs on Sunday, Oct. 20.

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