National Football League

With 49ers shorthanded, can Brock Purdy finally prove he’s a franchise QB?

Published Sep. 24, 2024 6:50 p.m. ET

Prove them right, or prove them wrong?

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy may have his best opportunity yet to show his detractors that he's not just a game manager — if he can make it onto the field this week.

The 49ers are already experiencing a rash of injuries, with Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles), Deebo Samuel (calf) and George Kittle (hamstring) all missing the team's Week 3 road loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The Niners have also lost Javon Hargrave, their best interior pass rusher, for the season with a partially torn triceps.

Purdy could be added to the list. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters this week that the third-year QB is day-to-day after experiencing discomfort in his back. However, his MRI came back clean and Shanahan is hopeful that he can practice on Wednesday.

While Purdy has played at a high level since taking over as the starting quarterback midway through the 2022 season, those who doubt him argue that he has been propped up by talented playmakers on offense.

But on Sunday, with three of his top playmakers out, Purdy had one of the best games of his short NFL career. He completed 22 of 30 passes for 292 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, posting a 137.1 passer rating. He also rushed 10 times for 41 yards.

"It seemed like Brock played his ass off from what I saw," Shanahan said. "He made a bunch of big plays. He took some good shots down the field. … When stuff wasn't there, he did a hell of a job scrambling, making some off-schedule plays. He played his ass off."

Last season, when some of his top players were sidelined, Purdy had the worst three-game stretch of his young career. Playing without an injured Samuel and left tackle Trent Williams early in the 2023 season, Purdy completed 55 of 88 passes (77.9%) for 762 yards, with three touchdowns and five interceptions for a 77.7 passer rating. San Francisco went 0-3.

Purdy now has a chance to show he can take over as the lead playmaker of this offense when others are not available. And that's especially important because of what San Francisco will likely have to do at the end of this season — pay him. Purdy is in the third year of a four-year rookie deal that pays him $985,000 in base salary for this season. And he's eligible for a new deal at year's end.

With McCaffrey, Samuel and Kittle out on Sunday, the 49ers had 61.4% of the team's production last season in the training room. Running back Jordan Mason, who has done an admirable job filling in for McCaffrey, had 19 carries for 77 yards. And without Samuel, Purdy connected with WR3 Jauan Jennings on 11 receptions for 175 yards and three touchdowns on 12 targets. Jennings was just the second player in franchise history to register 10 or more receptions, 150 or more receiving yards and three or more receiving touchdowns in a single game.

Overall this season, however, San Francisco's receivers are averaging the second-fewest yards of separation (2.9) in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats. Purdy has targeted open receivers on just 32.4% of his targets this season, a career-low for the signal-caller.

Yet Purdy is still posting good numbers, even without Samuel and Kittle. The QB is second in passing yards (842) and yards per pass this season (8.9), sixth in passer rating (109.2) and seventh in completion percentage (72.6%). He has four touchdowns to just one interception.

Purdy needs others to step up like Jennings did — specifically Brandon Aiyuk. Just before the season, the 49ers made Aiyuk one of the highest-paid receivers in the league, signing him to a contract that pays him $30 million a year. But Aiyuk has just 11 receptions for 119 receiving yards on 20 targets and has yet to get into the end zone. He also has four drops. The 49ers need more from one of the most talented receivers in the league.

Purdy is 18-6 as San Francisco's starter but is under .500 for the first time in his NFL career. If he can answer the bell physically, he'll have a chance to rectify that when the 1-2 49ers host the 1-2 New England Patriots on Sunday.

Despite the loss last week, Purdy showed that he can carry the load. The next handful of games will provide a glimpse if he can do it over the long haul.

"I'm not surprised [about how he played]," linebacker Fred Warner said about Purdy on Sunday. I think he had a heck of a game. So did Jauan. Even though I'm focused on the defense, I'm still on that sideline watching the offense and seeing him fight for every single bit out there.

"Putting on the performance he did, that's exactly why he's the guy out there leading us at that position."

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.

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