National Football League

Why 49ers QB Brock Purdy belongs in MVP conversation: NFC West Stock Watch

Published Oct. 4, 2023 4:14 p.m. ET

A year ago, Brock Purdy was a little-known backup out of Iowa State holding the clipboard behind quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Fast-forward to today, and the last pick of the 2022 draft is a legitimate candidate to win the league's MVP trophy. Purdy is currently tied with Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert with the sixth-best odds to win the award.

Returning from major elbow surgery this offseason, Purdy has been even better than he performed his rookie year. Through four games, he is 81-of-112 (72.3%) for 1,019 yards, with five touchdowns and no interceptions for a 115.1 passer rating. He has also rushed for 24 yards and two scores.

San Francisco's Purdy-led offense is averaging 31.3 points per game, No 3 in the NFL.

While Purdy is surrounded by some of the most talented playmakers in the league, his stellar play is one of the main reasons the 49ers are one of two unbeaten teams through the first quarter of the season, along with the Philadelphia Eagles.

In a Week 4 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Purdy was close to perfect. He finished 20-of-21 for 283 yards and a score, as the Cardinals blitzed just 13.6% of the time. Arizona's unwillingness to blitz came a week after the New York Giants blitzed Purdy 84.6% of the time, and he made them pay.

Purdy's 95.2% completion percentage against Arizona was a franchise record and is No. 4 in NFL history. Through the first four weeks of the season, he is tops in passer rating (115.1), third in completion percentage (72.3) and is one of three starting signal-callers to not throw an interception. In fact, Purdy has not thrown an interception in 211 attempts dating back to last season.

"He really knows the offense even more than he did last season," San Francisco offensive lineman Jake Brendel said. "His audibles, his checks and the efficiency he has on the line of scrimmage and in the huddle has greatly improved. He's just been getting better every single week. So really, I expect good things from him."

Purdy is 11-0 (including postseason) in games he has started and finished. His efficient performance leads this week's NFC West Stock Watch:

RISING

Brock Purdy, 49ers

While Purdy has been impressive through four weeks, he faces his toughest test yet this week in the Cowboys. Led by Micah Parsons and the No. 1-ranked defense, Dallas gave Purdy problems in San Francisco's playoff win last season. Purdy finished 19-of-29 for 214 yards, and his 87.4 passer rating was the lowest in his NFL career.

NFL Power Rankings: Brock Purdy & 49ers rise, Bengals fall

However, the Cowboys could be more vulnerable in the back end defensively with the absence of injured cornerback Trevon Diggs. Per Next Gen Stats, Purdy has completed a league-high 72.7% of his passes over 10 air yards this season, compared to 64% last year. Since losing Diggs in Week 3, Dallas has allowed the second-highest completion percentage (72.2%) over 10 air yards.

Bobby Wagner, Seahawks

Lost in the breakout performance of rookie defensive back Devon Witherspoon in Week 4 was the veteran linebacker's productive day. Wagner led the Seahawks with 17 combined tackles and totaled two sacks. For the season, he is third in the NFL with 50 stops and has been one of the main reasons for Seattle's turnaround defensively.

The Seahawks are tied for the league lead in sacks with 16 and are holding opposing offenses to 3.2 yards per carry, No. 3 in the NFL.

Ernest Jones, Rams

The South Carolina product has been front and center for L.A.'s surprising young defense. Taking over as the team's defensive playcaller when Wagner returned to Seattle, Jones leads the Rams in tackles with 38. He also has a sack to his credit.

Aaron Donald predictably tops the Rams with 2.5 sacks, but Jones has been a steadying force in the middle of the defense. He led the Rams with 10 combined tackles and a sack in their overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4.

FALLING

Jamal Adams, Seahawks

Since joining Seattle in a midseason trade with the New York Jets three years ago, the talented LSU product has struggled to stay on the field. After missing more than a year because of a torn quad suffered in the 2022 season opener against the Denver Broncos, Adams lasted just nine plays in his return to the field on Monday.

He sustained a concussion after taking a Daniel Jones knee to the head while tackling the QB. Adams has missed 28 of a possible 53 games during his time with Seattle. Hopefully, with the Seahawks on their bye week, Adams can return to play in Week 6 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Seahawks gave up two first-round picks and a third-round selection to acquire Adams, who's earning $11 million in total compensation in 2023. While you certainly hope he's OK in terms of the concussion, the Seahawks also hope to see a return on their investment.

Nick Bosa, 49ers

The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year inked a new deal just before the start of the regular season that makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. Although he's second on the 49ers in QB pressures with 16, Bosa has just one sack through four games.

He had six sacks through four games last season. Part of the reason he has just one sack this season is a lack of opportunity: The New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cardinals chose to lean on the running game in their matchups with San Francisco.

So the expectation is that Bosa will heat up over the coming weeks.

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Kei'Trel Clark, Cardinals

The rookie cornerback made highlight reels as Christian McCaffrey spectacularly hurtled him on his way to an 18-yard touchdown, part of a four-TD performance for the Stanford product.

Clark does have 21 combined tackles and four pass breakups through four games. But according to Pro Football Focus, he also has five missed tackles.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.