San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Brock Purdy's MVP bid gets stamp of approval from NBA star as 49ers steamroll Cowboys

By Vinny Somma | Last updated 10/9/23

In the words of Pro Football Talk's Peter King, "Brock Purdy is your new MVP front-runner."

On Sunday night against "America's Team," the San Francisco 49ers quarterback put the nation on notice with yet another dazzling performance, picking apart the Dallas Cowboys secondary for 252 passing yards. His four scores through the air were equivalent to the total number of touchdowns the Dallas defense had allowed throughout the first four games of the season.

King anointing Purdy as the MVP favorite evidently will not get any pushback from Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton. The reigning NBA All-Star shouted out his fellow Iowa State alumnus on social media during San Francisco's 42-10 route of the Cowboys in Week 5, putting his stamp of approval on Purdy's MVP bid.

MVPurdy
— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) October 9, 2023

Through five games, Purdy has been near perfect, throwing for 1,271 yards, nine touchdowns and zero interceptions. His 83.7 QBR ranks first in the NFL, while his 123.1 quarterback rating is 11.2 better than any other signal-caller in football. Over the last three weeks, Purdy has averaged 281.6 passing YPG while totaling eight touchdowns (seven passing and one rushing).

For much of Purdy's young career, many have tried to discount the success of the 2022 Mr. Irrelevant, instead praising the offensive genius of head coach Kyle Shanahan. After Sunday night, the pendulum appears to be finally swinging in Purdy's favor.

Brock Purdy is destroying the NFL and is doing it as Mr. Irrelevant. People are still sleeping on him because it doesn't look sensational while he's doing it. https://t.co/n74ZMU9oLJ
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) October 9, 2023

While there's no discounting Shanahan's expertise, Purdy has taken the 49ers offense to new heights, leading the team to eight consecutive 30-plus-point regular-season outings. Playing as well as any quarterback in football, Purdy is a shoo-in MVP candidate. The only question now is if he can fend off teammate Christian McCaffrey from bypassing him in the race.

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