San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is absolutely tearing it up, enjoying what’s arguably the best start to his NFL career through two games this season. This guy has thrown for 492 yards, dropped five touchdowns, and only tossed one interception. He’s completing a ridiculous 80.8 percent of his passes, which is leading the league, and he’s averaging 8.8 yards per attempt. Purdy has been incredibly sharp, making clutch decisions and throwing some seriously impressive passes in both of the 49ers’ first two matchups, practically being the heart of their offense so far.
Purdy’s Early MVP Run Has Analysts Buzzing
We’ve seen Purdy slowly but surely elevate his game over his four-year NFL career. Turnover-worthy plays used to be his big hang-up, but now that he’s got more responsibility in that offense, he’s just thriving. He’s legitimately in the early running for the MVP race, and it’s no surprise that NFL analysts are taking notice. ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback himself, came right out and said it this week: no quarterback in the NFL is playing football like Brock Purdy right now. Orlovsky emphasized how important anticipating throws is in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, and he flat out called Purdy the “ideal guy to operate it.” He’s got that incredible combo of being “as fast as you can be up top and as calm and almost as slow as you can be neck down.” Orlovsky acknowledges guys like Josh Allen are playing remarkable football, and a lot of quarterbacks are high-level, but his point is clear: “NOBODY is playing the way Brock Purdy is.”
Unpacking The “Unnormal” Plays
Orlovsky really dove into how Purdy sees the field and why he’s so special. He broke down one play where Purdy is under center, takes a seven-step drop, and essentially has a free rusher because McCaffrey has to go block. But watch Purdy’s feet: slow to fast to slow. He somehow sees, as he rolls backside, that the number 4 defender’s dropped coverage totally releases George Kittle. And just like that, a beautiful play. Then there’s another instance, again under center, another drop back. No one’s accounting for the linebacker, so here comes another free rusher. The offensive line has their five, so the quarterback has to beat this pressure from under center. This is not normal football, folks. Purdy finds that soft spot in the defense, even with congestion in the middle between Evans and Juszczyk. The ball still comes out. He’s not seeing those specific guys, he’s just seeing space. Orlovsky called another play “absolutely nuts”: a short motion, the halfback goes out, Purdy takes a seven-step drop. As he’s doing this, the halfback pulls the underneath coverage and the receiver lifts the deep coverage. Purdy is throwing this ball to a fullback, only about six feet tall, but he’s not looking at Juszczyk. He just sees the wide open, vacated space right there between the defenders. This is high-level processing, throwing to spots, and incredible anticipation.
Purdy’s ability to throw to spots, anticipate like crazy, and process at such a high level is exactly why he’s playing in a league of his own this season. Can he keep this insane pace going? The league is on notice, and everyone will be watching to see if he can maintain this MVP-caliber play throughout the season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
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