49ers QB Purdy earns NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors
49ers QB Purdy earns NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy on Wednesday became just the second 49ers quarterback in 11 years to be recognized as NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Purdy achieved the highest-attainable passer rating of 158.3 in the 49ers’ 27-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11.
He is the 23rd player in NFL history to register a perfect passer score with 25 or more attempts in a game -- and the only player in 49ers history to accomplish that feat.
Purdy completed 21 of 25 passes for 333 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions against the Buccaneers at Levi's Stadium.
“He played at a real high level, made real good decisions, was very smart with the ball,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said after evaluating the film of the game. “He played like his numbers looked. It was very impressive.”
Purdy, 23, is in his first full season as the 49ers’ starter after being the No. 262 and final selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. He has placed himself into the conversation for NFL Most Valuable Player.
Purdy leads the league with a passer rating of 115.1 as the 49ers lead the NFC West with a 7-3 record.
He also tops all quarterbacks with 9.7 yards per pass attempt. Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa ranks second, more than a yard behind at 8.5. Purdy has thrown 18 touchdown passes and just five interceptions.
One of the keys to Purdy’s success has been his ability to defy the general perception he lacks significant arm strength. In reality, Purdy has been at the top of the league with a 66.7-percent success rate on passes 20 yards or longer down the field, according to PFF.
“I think my man’s been lifting some weights,” 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel joked on Tuesday. “He’s a little stronger and it looks pretty good coming off his arm. He’s got a little touch and a little strength behind it.”
Purdy said he believes the success the 49ers have enjoyed throwing the ball deep is having a beneficial impact of opening up plays at other depths, too.
“I think our offense has always done a good job within the short, the quick game, the intermediate game,” Purdy said on Tuesday. “But to be able to hit some deep balls, yeah, I think it definitely does put in the back of the minds of DBs like, ‘Man, they can go deep and we’ve got to respect it.’
“And then it has opened up some things that I think we've seen the last couple games. The intermediate game is looking pretty good just in terms of the defense respecting our deep ball. So I think it's real.”
Jimmy Garoppolo was the previous 49ers quarterback to win NFC Offensive Player of the Week. He was honored after the 49ers’ memorable 48-46 victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 14 of 2019. Garoppolo completed 26 of 35 passes for 349 with four touchdowns and one interception.
Before Garoppolo, the 49ers did not have a quarterback win the award since 2012. In that season, both Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick were recognized for their outstanding performances.
Smith completed 18 of 19 passes in a Monday night victory over the Arizona Cardinals. That was his final full game with the team. He sustained a concussion in the 49ers’ next game and never regained his starting job.
In Week 15, Kaepernick was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his four-touchdown performance on a rainy night to help produce a 41-34 road victory over the New England Patriots.
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