Clark: Purdy playing the best of any 49ers QB this season

The 49ers are on their third quarterback of the season, which somehow might be a blessing in disguise. 

With rookie quarterback Brock Purdy now under center for San Francisco, ESPN's Ryan Clark believes the 22-year-old is delivering the best play at the position this season for the 49ers. 

"You have the best quarterback play this team has gotten all year," Clark said Friday on "Get Up." "It's better than what we saw from Trey Lance, it's better than what we saw from Jimmy [Garoppolo]. Brock Purdy is the best player that's played that position for this team the entire season, and that's why he has this team rolling and primed for an NFC Championship Game matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles."

Lance, the second-year quarterback, began the season under center before breaking his ankle in the 49ers' win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2. The veteran Garoppolo then took over for Lance and played in 11 games before suffering a foot injury that will sideline him for the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs. 

With Lance playing only one full game this season, he's not much of a factor in this equation. Clark believes that Purdy, in three games, has performed better than Garoppolo did at any point this season. 

In 11 games, Garoppolo posted a 103.0 quarterback rating and completed 67.2 percent of his passes with 5.2 percent of his attempts resulting in touchdowns and only 1.3 percent resulting in interceptions. 

Purdy, in three games as the 49ers' starter, has posted a 113.0 quarterback rating, completing 69.7 percent of his passes with 7.14 percent of his attempts resulting in touchdowns and only 1.1 percent resulting in an interception. 

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Clark certainly has a point, although Garoppolo's four-touchdown game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11 could be the best single-game performance by a 49ers quarterback this season.

If Purdy continues to play well, there's a chance that he -- instead of Garoppolo or Lance -- will be the 49ers' starter under center in 2023. 

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