Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers has attracted some rave reviews in his five games since replacing Jimmy Garoppolo, who went out with a foot injury in Week 13’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins.
Since then, Purdy has put up 1,130 passing yards on a 67.38 completion rate and 10 touchdown passes as the 49ers have run up a gaudy nine-game winning streak.
Not only have fans been raving about him, but so have experts and retired legends.
One of those retired legends is Hall of Famer Steve Young, who led San Francisco to its last Super Bowl championship following the 1994 season.
While on KNBR this week, Young said Purdy has the intangibles that very few signal-callers have.
“The kid has the Force, and I think people understand what that means,” Young said. “The thing that we’re describing is indescribable in some ways. … It’s something about he is present on the field, and can handle all the inputs and all the data, and still put out his accuracy. His mind is clean and clear.”
On Sunday, the rookie faced his first real pressure situation on the road versus the Las Vegas Raiders, as his team trailed by 10 points early in the third quarter.
But he calmly led them back while reacting well to the blitzes that Las Vegas threw at him throughout the afternoon, resulting in a 37-34 Niners win.
It reminded Young of Week 4 of the 2018 season when a then-unproven Patrick Mahomes guided the Kansas City Chiefs to a win over the Denver Broncos while showing his resourcefulness and skill.
“You’re like, ‘Wait, why is his heartbeat 42? His heartbeat should be at least 100, 110,’” the Hall of Famer continued. “And that’s what I saw in Patrick that was shocking to me as a rookie. And I think the same kind of thing with Brock.”
Purdy has shown similar poise and confidence that makes it seem like he’s been in the NFL for several years.
Brock Purdy has ICE in his veins 🥶🥶 pic.twitter.com/G5Myu4ZcKd
— Brian Y (@byysports) January 2, 2023
That season, Mahomes had a beastly season, throwing for 50 touchdowns and over 5,000 yards, which earned him the league MVP award.
While Purdy won’t win this season’s MVP or perhaps even the Rookie of the Year award, he seems to have the 49ers deep in contention for their sixth world championship, and should he win it, it could become as great a Cinderella story as the NFL has ever seen.
They can end the regular season with a 10-game winning streak and perhaps even the top seed in the NFC with a win over the beaten-up Arizona Cardinals this weekend, and with arguably the league’s best defense and multiple weapons on offense, Purdy seems to have everything he needs to achieve the greatness Young and Mahomes attained.
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