San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy isn't just proving doubters wrong in his fifth season; he's performing at a high rate in every quarter of every game this year. He leads the NFL in EPA per play through three weeks, and a quarter-by-quarter chart from @sfdata9ers on X shows how complete his start has been.
EPA, or expected points added, measures how much a play changes a team's scoring chances compared with an average result. Among quarterbacks with at least 45 plays, Purdy's 0.63 mark is the best in the league.
QB EPA/Play per Quarter through Week 3
— SFdata9ers🏈📊 (@sfdata9ers) September 29, 2026
1. Brock Purdy
2. Drew Lock
3. Dak Prescott
4. Josh Allen
5. Lamar Jackson pic.twitter.com/brZnywruZ1
It starts in the first quarter. Purdy's 0.63 EPA/play in the opening period ranks third,
and he has completed 19 of 27 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions for a 110.7 passer rating.
The second quarter is his lowest mark, but it still ranks seventh at 0.30. Purdy went 13-of-23 for 174 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and he added four carries for 32 yards and a rushing score.
The third quarter is where he separates himself. Purdy's 1.07 EPA/play is the best in the NFL, and he has completed 18 of 19 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns, good for a 158.3 rating.
He finishes the same way. Purdy's 0.59 EPA/play in the fourth quarter ranks fifth. He has hit 10 of 14 throws for 107 yards and three touchdowns for a 133.0 rating, and he has also run four times for 43 yards.
The rest of the top four shows how steady he has been. Seattle's Drew Lock is second at 0.46 overall, but his numbers swing wildly. He leads the league in the first (2.24) and fourth (1.08) quarters, yet sits 24th in the second at -0.01. Dallas' Dak Prescott is third at 0.38, and Buffalo's Josh Allen is fourth at 0.35 with a second-quarter mark of 0.65 that ranks second. Purdy is the only one of the four with no quarter ranked outside the top seven.
The results have followed, as San Francisco is 3-0 with wins of 27-7 at the Rams, 35-13 over Miami and 36-30 over Arizona. Purdy is 60-of-83 for 789 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception, plus 93 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Three games is a small sample, but the quarter-by-quarter breakdown shows a quarterback producing throughout an entire game.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Brock Purdy's best and worst quarters both rank among the NFL's elite
