ESPN’s Seth Walder just dropped a bombshell prediction for Sunday’s 49ers-Dolphins game, and if you remember what Brock Purdy did to our secondary back in ’22, it’s gonna make you groan a little bit. Walder says Miami won’t lay a single hand on Purdy all afternoon at Levi’s Stadium. That’s right, zero QB hits.
Miami’s Pass Rush Is MIA, And Purdy’s Line Is Ballin’
So, why such a bold call? It’s less about the Niners being perfect and more about how absolutely toothless Miami’s pass rush looked last week. They lost 27-13 to the Raiders and couldn’t even manage a single sack. Zero. Zip. Nada. That kind of performance makes an opponent’s offensive line look like a brick wall, and Walder rightly points out that a defense that struggles that badly rarely fixes it in just six days. Meanwhile, Purdy opened the year looking sharp as hell, going 25 of 34 for 205 yards and three scores in their 27-7 smackdown of the Rams in Australia. And get this: he took no sacks against a front that many, *many* people expected to wreck games. Yeah, the Niners have injuries stacking up, and interior protection, especially with Connor Colby earning a 59.5 PFF grade at left guard, is still a soft spot. But the mood in that building? Still upbeat, apparently.
Remember 2022? Yeah, That Purdy Show Started Early
We’ve seen this movie before, right? And honestly, it still stings a bit. Back in Week 7 of the 2022 season, Jimmy Garoppolo went down, and the last guy chosen in that year’s draft, Brock Purdy, jogged onto the field against these very same Dolphins with no warning. What’d he do? He finished 25 of 37 for 210 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, leading them to a 33-17 win. Miami spent that whole afternoon sending extra rushers on what felt like every single snap. Most rookies in that spot would panic, drift out of the pocket, and just heave the ball away. But not Purdy. Dude kept his feet quiet, worked through his progressions fast, and found the correct target rather than just settling for a safe throw behind the line. Kyle Shanahan’s game plan that day tells you everything: Christian McCaffrey only got 17 carries, but Purdy had 37 dropbacks. Shanahan trusted him. He even told principal owner Jed York that Purdy “might already be the best quarterback on the roster.” And then came the absurd run that followed: a first career start against Tom Brady’s Buccaneers, then that “shredding of Seattle’s secondary” (don’t even get me started), and a march that only stopped when Purdy and the entire QB room got hurt in the NFC Championship Game.
Four years later, the roles are completely flipped. Purdy’s leading a contender, while Miami could very well end up with the league’s worst record. But Purdy, better than anyone, knows that none of that means a thing once the kickoff happens. Sunday, it’s another chance for him to prove Walder right, or for Miami to prove everyone wrong. Get ready for some football, folks.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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