We are living in a quarterback league. Well, unless you’re the Seattle Seahawks and can provide the type of infrastructure for a season around your quarterback, where he doesn’t have nearly as much on his plate as the rest of the league.
But for everybody else, if you don’t have a playmaker under center, good luck keeping pace.
Brock Purdy has helped propel the San Francisco 49ers into one of the top teams in the NFL. When he took over as the starter in 2022 and remained the starter through the 2023
season, no team was as dominant and overwhelming as the Niners.
We’ve seen injuries and some forced decisions among Purdy’s top complaints from his critics. There’s enough evidence that Purdy belongs in the conversation with the best of the best, but his best play has happened when he’s been playing on a loaded roster.
We’ll go through an exercise today pitting Purdy against every other quarterback on the 49ers schedule to see how many games the Niners have the advantage in. There will be some disagreements. That’s fine. That’s what makes these types of discussions fun. It’s all subjective. So, without further ado, let’s get into it.
Week 1 – Rams – Matthew Stafford
Stafford is coming off a season where he threw 12 more touchdowns than the next quarterback. He was incredible. He threw two fewer interceptions than Purdy despite throwing 313 more passes. Stafford is in complete control and is the epitome of elevating the players around you. He was the MVP for a reason.
Winner: Stafford
Week 2 – Dolphins – Malik Willis
Willis may end up being higher in the quarterback rankings by the time the season ends than others. He was surprisingly good last season in limited action, and always seemed to provide stable quarterback play for Green Bay. But now he has to do it as a full-time starter when teams have tape and can game-plan for him if Willis ends up in the top 15-ish quarterbacks; good for him.
But it’ll take more than a flash-in-the-pan season to top Purdy. The 49ers will have a big QB edge for their home opener.
Winner: Purdy
Week 3 – Cardinals – Jacoby Brissett
It’s 2026, and Arizona is still trotting out Brissett. While it’s obvious the Cardinals are tanking for one of the top quarterbacks in next year’s draft, you almost feel bad for Brissett. He’s going to take a ton of hits this season. Arizona’s supporting cast isn’t awful, but Brissett and Purdy are on opposite ends of the playmaker category. One hunts big plays, while the other is comfortable checking it down—some would say he prefers it.
Winner: Purdy
Week 4 – Broncos – Bo Nix
I wonder how Broncos fans would feel about this. To me, it’s not close. Super senior Bo Nix has been the same quarterback since his days at Auburn. Sean Payton can attempt to dress up his quarterback all he wants, but it’s telling, especially on downs that matter when your quarterback has to do something, that the play call ends up being a screen.
Nix made plays in the playoffs. We’ll give him credit for that. But the body of work is hardly appealing. That could look different with Jaylen Waddle, but I’ll believe it when I see it. Nix averaged 6.4 yards per attempt last season and still managed 11 interceptions. He had 118 attempts behind the line of scrimmage. In his career, Purdy has 172. They are not being asked to do the same things.
Even though Nix made a handful of throws in the playoffs, Denver’s offense was mostly a train wreck last year.
Winner: Purdy
Week 5 – Seahawks – Darnold
Darnold is fun, man. He is the king of variance. Seattle understood that, which is why they did everything in their power to limit his passing attempts last season. That’s right. The Super Bowl champion quarterback had fewer attempts than Brissett, who played in four fewer games during the regular season. That’s not by accident.
As somebody who appreciates variance, it’s hard not to be a fan of what Darnold brings to the table. Darnold’s turnovers come in bunches. He had 14 interceptions and could’ve probably had 20 last season. Whenever the Seahawks started to open up, Darnold’s true colors showed.
Purdy’s 2023 backup is not better than him.
Winner: Purdy
Week 6 – Washington – Jayden Daniels
If this conversation took place in 2024, the second overall pick would’ve been the answer. Perhaps we should’ve seen the slender Daniels missing time. Daniels didn’t look the same in 2025, in his decision-making and overall effectiveness as a passer. Daniels threw fewer touchdowns, was less accurate, and wasn’t pushing the ball down the field as much.
We’ll see how Year 3 goes for Daniels. I’m sure he’d like to be throwing it to his former college teammate. But you can’t turn a blind eye to what you saw in 2025. The league will be better with a healthy Daniels, but an injury in Year 2 doesn’t bode well for his longevity. We hope we’re wrong.
Winner: Purdy
Week 7 – Atlanta – ?
Whether it’s Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix, Purdy has the upper hand. Tagovailoa’s 15 interceptions were second in the NFL for quarterbacks with at least 300 attempts. He might be the worst quarterback we discuss. Sometimes, a change of scenery benefits a quarterback. But if you couldn’t cut it with Mike McDaniel, why should we give you the benefit of the doubt elsewhere?
Penix has the higher ceiling, but who knows how he’ll be post-injury, or whether he can stay healthy. Purdy is more accurate and decisive, and his legs are far more dangerous than those of the other two.
Winner: Purdy
Week 9 – Raiders – Francisco Mendoza
It should be the rookie by Week 9, right? Mendoza should be better than Purdy down the line. He’s the No. 1 overall pick. But we’re not going to crown a rookie until he goes out and proves it.
Winner: Purdy
Week 10 – Cowboys – Dak Prescott
Finally, some competition. Prescott wins here. He’s one of the five best quarterbacks in the NFL for my money. He has a better arm than Purdy, but where he separates himself is his ability to process something in a nanosecond and deliver the ball accurately. Both quarterbacks are among the best at sack avoidance, but Dak doesn’t turn it over nearly as much as Purdy.
For as aggressive as Purdy is, Prescott threw the ball 2.6 yards further down the field on average last season. I think he sees the field better than Purdy. Brock is a better scrambler, but Dak rarely lets it get to that point because he’s already figured out where to go with the ball.
Winner: Prescott
Week 11 – Vikings – Kyler Murray
Upset? Potentially. Murray needs to prove that he can stay healthy and be on the field by Week 11. If he can, Minnesota will be a dangerous team this season. But if not, it’ll be the same old story for Murray. A player who makes the highlight reels, but isn’t consistent because he doesn’t test all areas of the field.
If there’s an offense where that’ll change, it’ll be with Kevin O’Connell. But even for a seasoned vet, Murray needs to prove it.
Winner: Purdy
Week 13 – Giants – Jaxon Dart
I’m not sure what Dart does better than Purdy. He’s a reckless runner. I admire his aggressiveness and believe that trait is what it takes to win, but none of Dart’s play seems well thought out. The talent is there, but he has a lot of maturing to do.
Winner: Purdy
Week 15 – Chargers – Justin Herbert
Herbert was lucky enough to play with Greg Roman. Now he’ll get Mike McDaniel. The talk about Herbert is always strange because his surroundings rarely get mentioned. His sack percentage is through the roof. The interceptions aren’t great. The fumbles are an issue.
I think if you were to swap Herbert and Purdy, we’d have a much different view of him. Remember, the judge of this contest loves variance. And talent. So ignoring the missiles Herbert can throw 40 yards down the field while getting hit is not something we’re willing to do here.
Winner: Herbert
Week 16 – Chiefs – Patrick Mahomes
Nope.
Winner: Mahomes
Week 17 – Eagles – Hurts
I think we’ve seen more “game manager” play from Hurts than Purdy. I think Hurts is closer to average than good. He blacked out during the playoff run when they won the Super Bowl, but even dating back to college and his play since then has been who Hurts really is as a player, and that’s inconsistent. Hurts takes care of the ball, but he’s leaving yards on the table because of it. He’s one of the best deep ball throwers in the game, but doesn’t target the “easiest” part of the field, the intermediate area.
I’d take Purdy without thinking twice.
Winner: Purdy
That means there are only three games where the 49ers would be at a disadvantage this season at quarterback.
