Brock Purdy completed 23-of-38 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers’ 25-22, Super Bowl LVIII overtime loss to the Chiefs.
Purdy wasn’t the reason the 49ers lost, but he wasn’t going to be the reason they won, either, had they managed to pull it off. They probably should have. The Chiefs were uninspired on offense but just dominant on defense to turn the game into a Patrick Mahomes coin flip. You somehow lose those more than 50 percent of the time. One of the most heavily-debated football players in recent memory, Purdy shrugged off a torn UCL — thee of the Tommy John surgery — to not only repeat his surprising, sterling rookie campaign of 2022, but improve upon it in every way. Although he — understandably — has a reputation as a “YAC merchant” in coach Kyle Shanahan’s quarterback-friendly system, Purdy has proven he is more capable of making plays outside of structure than past Shanny QBs such as Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Mullens, et al. Purdy lacks dynamic arm strength, but he has dynamism. Efficient with a nose for big plays, Purdy should have at least one more year of stat-padding to go as the Niners run back their elite skill corps for 2024.