Two seasons into his NFL career, Pro Bowl quarterback Brock Purdy led the 49ers to the franchise's eighth Super Bowl appearance.
And like former legendary 49ers quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young, Purdy produced electric numbers to start his young career with San Francisco.
On Monday's “Football Morning in America,” NBC Sports' Peter King examined how Purdy stacked up against two Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees statistically, comparing the trio's first 26 starts with the 49ers.
King found the results for the Iowa State product “surprising: more wins, more accuracy, more yards, better yards per attempt, better TD-and-pick margin, higher passer rating.”
Purdy went 21-5 over his first 26 games of the regular season and NFL playoffs, completing 68.0 percent of passes for 6,466 yards, 9.22 yards per attempt, 47 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and a 111.3 passer rating.
After earning the job during the 1980 NFL season, Montana went 18-8, recording 5,608 yards, 35 touchdowns and 22 interceptions, and earned an 88.1 passer rating after completing 64.0 percent of his pass attempts on 7.09 yards per attempt.
Young, who wasn't handed the full reigns in San Francisco until his seventh NFL season in 1991, went 19-7, completing 65.9 percent of his pass attempts for 5,961 yards, 8.81 yards per attempt, 42 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. And passerby evaluation. From 105.1.
Although the numbers aren't in Purdy's favor, King pointed out some caches.
“But let's also think about the era and the supporting cast,” King admitted. “The passing game wasn't efficient back then. The league-wide regular season completion rate in 1981 was 54.6 percent, 57.5 percent in 1991; this season it was 64.5 percent. In 1980, [Cleveland Browns’] Brian Sipp led the NFL with a passer rating of 91.4. He could have finished 18th in the league this season. In addition, midfielders did not have protective cloaks around them as they do now.
“(In terms of) the talent around them, Purdy has the best. Montana Staff: Earl Cooper/Ricky Patton (RB); Dwight Clark, Freddie Solomon (WR); Charlie Young (TE) … Young's cast: Dexter Carter/Ricky Watters (RB), Jerry Rice, John Taylor (WR), Brent Jones (TE)… Purdy's cast: Christian McCaffrey (RB), Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk ( WR), George Kittle (TE).”
Purdy is a Super Bowl LVIII victory away from being a great player in San Francisco until the end of time — like Young and Montana.
Selected with the 262nd and final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft by the 49ers, the 24-year-old has the best numbers of the trio to date.
King reiterated that while Purdy has better numbers and other analytics might consider Montana or Young to have been better at this point, the 49ers' current quarterback is doing what is asked of him at a high level.
“What I conclude from the comparison is that Purdy’s number should be much better in this era, better than even all the players like Montana and Young,” King wrote. “And they are significantly better. It's enough to get his team to two conference title games and one Super Bowl appearance in his first two years. But the numbers don't mean you should intentionally cut back on Purdy because you think he can't possibly belong in the same league as Montana and Young.
“Purdy is in his era, in his era, with a coach who produces great tactics, with an excellent support staff, and he does what he is asked, and he does it wonderfully. In the end, that is what is important in any era.”
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