49ers' Brock Purdy reveals toughest opponent of young NFL career

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy revealed that last season's playoff victory over the Dallas Cowboys was the toughest game he's experienced as an NFL starter so far.

"They were a really good defense and, like I said, there were times where just the pass rush or my rhythm, something just felt off in that game," Purdy said about the 19-12 postseason win, per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "And they did a good job of just getting me offset with some little things and just sort of made me rush some things. And I feel like I didn't get in a good rhythm to process just what we had going on."

Purdy made his seventh career NFL start against Dallas on Jan. 22 and finished the game with an 87.4 passer rating, his lowest for a contest as a QB1. To compare, ESPN stats show the 23-year-old enters the weekend leading the league among qualified players with a 115.1 passer rating and an 84.6 adjusted QBR on the season. 

Purdy suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow during the NFC Championship Game but remains unbeaten across starts that he has finished healthy.  

As of Friday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the 4-0 49ers as 3.5-point favorites to defeat the 3-1 Cowboys at San Francisco's Levi's Stadium on Sunday night. According to ESPN stats, Dallas will begin Sunday with the NFC's top pass defense, one that is allowing only 148.0 passing yards per game. 

"In this kind of game, when you got two really good defenses on both sides of the ball, it's like, man, how can you eliminate the turnovers, play smart, and when you get in the red zone, execute and be willing to actually score touchdowns," Purdy continued. "Obviously, the field goals are great, and getting points are great, but to win these kind of games, man, we got to score touchdowns."

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan pushed back this week against any perception that Purdy is merely a "system quarterback," and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft "was born to play" the position at the highest level. Purdy has thrown just five touchdown passes across four games this season, but he may have to find the end zone multiple times to earn a victory against what is arguably the league's most intimidating defensive unit on Sunday night.