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Two seasons into his NFL career, Pro Bowl quarterback Brock Purdy has led the 49ers to the franchise’s eighth Super Bowl appearance.
And like previous legendary 49ers quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young, Purdy has produced electric numbers to begin his young career with San Francisco.
On Monday’s “Football Morning in America,” NBC Sports’ Peter King examined how Purdy compares to the two Pro Football Hall of Famers in terms of statistics, comparing the trio’s first 26 starts with the 49ers.
King found the results in favor of the Iowa State product “pretty heady: more wins, more accuracy, more yards, better yards per attempt, better touchdown and pick margin, higher passer rating.”
Purdy went 21-5 in his first 26 starts in the NFL regular season and playoffs, completing 68.0 percent of his passes for 6,466 yards, 9.22 yards per attempt, 47 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and a passer rating of 111.3.
After earning the job during the 1980 NFL season, Montana went 18-8, recording 5,608 yards, 35 touchdowns and 22 interceptions, with a passer rating of 88.1 after completing 64.0 percent of his attempts. pass at 7.09 yards per attempt.
Young, who wasn’t given full reins in San Francisco until his seventh NFL season in 1991, went 19-7, completing 65.9 percent of pass attempts for 5,961 yards, 8.81 yards per attempt, 42 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a passer rating. of 105.1.
While the numbers aren’t in Purdy’s favor, King pointed out some caches.
“But let’s also consider the era and the supporting actors,” King acknowledged. “Passing games weren’t as efficient then. The league-wide regular season completion percentage in 1981 was 54.6 percent and 57.5 percent in 1991; this season, it was 64.5 percent. In 1980, Brian Sipe (of the Cleveland Browns) led the NFL with a passer rating of 91.4. He would have been 18th in the league this season. Additionally, quarterbacks didn’t have the protective layers around them like they do now.
“(As for) the talent around them, Purdy has the best. Montana Cast: Earl Cooper/Ricky Patton (RB); Dwight Clark, Freddie Solomon (WR); Charle Young (TE)… Young’s cast: Dexter Carter/Ricky Watters (RB), Jerry Rice, John Taylor (WR), Brent Jones (TE)… Purdy’s cast: Christian McCaffrey (RB), Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk ( WR), George Kittle (TE).”
Purdy is one Super Bowl LVIII victory away from being a San Francisco great until the end of time, like Young and Montana are.
And the 24-year-old, after being selected 262nd and last overall in the 2022 NFL Draft by the 49ers, has the best numbers of the trio so far.
King reiterated that while Purdy has the better numbers and other analyzes might consider Montana or Young to have been better at this stage, the current 49ers quarterback is doing what is asked of him at a high level.
“My takeaway from the comparison: Purdy’s number should be considerably better in this era, better even than all-timers like Montana and Young,” King wrote. “And they are noticeably better. Enough to have his team in two conference title games and a Super Bowl in his first two years. But the numbers don’t mean you should intentionally deflate Purdy because you think there’s no way he’s in the same league as Montana and Young.
“Purdy exists in his time, in his time, with a coach who produces fantastic plans, with an excellent supporting cast, and he is doing what is asked of him, and he is doing it excellently. In the end, that is what he counts, in any era.”
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