Brock Purdy has chance to make statement in clash with Eagles
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had five touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills, but will the 49ers have a quarterback advantage when they visit Philadelphia?
After last year’s NFC Championship Game, 49ers fans and players took to social media to say that they would have beaten the Eagles had Brock Purdy remained healthy. Based on his stats, they could have a point.
Purdy’s passer rating (112.3), QBR (75.7) and completion percentage (70.2) are all tops among NFL quarterbacks. He’s tied for seventh with 19 touchdown passes and has only six interceptions. His 21 sacks taken put him in the bottom-half of the league.
That’s a far cry from the quarterback that went 4-for-4 for 23 yards before injuring his elbow in the first quarter against Philadelphia last year. Hurts didn’t have a great day either, completing just 15 passes for 120 yards and no touchdowns.
Hurts’ quarterback rating of 94.9 is 12th-best among quarterbacks, one spot ahead of the Giants’ Tommy DeVito. His completion percentage (67.6) is eighth-best, one spot ahead of Daniel Jones. His 27 sacks taken tie him for sixth-most in the league. His 10 interceptions are four more than he had last season and more than he had as a first-year starter. He’s been clutch at the end of games recently, but Eagles fans could do without the drama sometimes.
Drafted in the second round to backup Carson Wentz in 2020, it took time for Hurts to overcome the stigma of not being a top pick. As the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdy had even more to prove than Hurts.
But to truly appreciate what Purdy has done, compare his stats to Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud, the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft. In his first 10 games, Stroud has 2,962 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Through his first 10 regular season starts, Purdy had 2,327 yards, 18 touchdowns and three interceptions. While Stroud’s efforts have some talking MVP, Purdy’s performance remains underappreciated, even with a pair of playoff wins under his belt.
With Philadelphia up next, Purdy has a golden opportunity to change the narrative surrounding his young career. Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen couldn't beat the Eagles in consecutive weeks. If Purdy gets a win, he must be considered one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks.
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