In the not so distant past, Brock Purdy was the favorite to win the MVP award. Then the San Francisco 49ers went to Atlanta and lost 29-20 to the Falcons, and suddenly Purdy isn't looked upon so favorably.
It's true that Purdy didn't have his best game of the season, particularly when it comes to interceptions. But what's also true is his rankings.
Brock Purdy's criticism is not baseless
Atlanta was certainly Purdy's worst game this season on the stat sheet, but it was primarily the interceptions that got in the way. Without those, the Falcons wouldn't have been in a position to win, and the Niners would have likely scored instead.
Outside of the two picks, Purdy still completed 27 of his 40 pass attempts, doing so for 288 yards and a touchdown. That's a completion rate of 67.5 percent. Had the Niners won the game, Purdy's interceptions would be brushed aside as small slip ups, and his public perception would be intact.
But the reality is that Purdy is still performing among the most elite quarterbacks in the league, and a single bad game isn't going to change that. Especially when the game in question wasn't even all that bad.
Brock Purdy falls in QB power rankings
Nick Shook of NFL.com published his quarterback rankings through seven weeks, and Purdy comes in at fifth, dropping three spots from last week. That not-so-bad game is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.
It also skips the room that Purdy was throwing to. San Francisco dressed four receivers in Atlanta. Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel were out, and Christian Kirk went without a target in his debut. The offense still outgained Atlanta in yards 400-295, despite four turnovers and a defense that forced none.
It doesn't excuse the interceptions, but it does explain why a single afternoon shouldn't rewrite seven weeks of excellent quarterback play from Purdy
Now Purdy gets the bye week, healthier receivers, and the Raiders at home on Nov. 8. If he plays his normal game, this conversations will look as overdone as it already should.
An MVP season was never built on a single game anyway, and the case against Purdy shouldn't be either.
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