Through the first three weeks of the NFL season, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is operating in statistical territory matched by only a select few legends in league history.
Coming off a masterclass 297-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Arizona Cardinals, Purdy leads the NFL in passer rating at 133.1 and is tied for the league lead with nine passing touchdowns. Advanced metrics reveal an even more staggering reality: his expected points added (EPA) on passing plays through three weeks trails only 2007 Tom Brady for any quarterback this century, per The Ringer's Diante Lee.
Purdy is currently on a scorching pace for 4,000 passing yards and 50 touchdowns. In the entire history of the NFL, a 50-touchdown passing campaign has
happened just three times: Brady in 2007, Peyton Manning in 2013, and Patrick Mahomes in 2018.
If Purdy hits those marks, it would essentially guarantee him the MVP award
While skeptics often point to Kyle Shanahan’s sophisticated scheme and San Francisco's supporting cast, Purdy is proving he can do it on his own. The 49ers still have Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Deebo Samuel, but the team lost (at various points in the season already) receivers Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall, De'Zhaun Stribling, Demarcus Robinson and tight end Jake Tonges. Evans should be back sooner rather than later with a rib injury, but the other four are out for an extended period of time.
Key offensive tackle Trent Williams is also injured, and his status for Week 4 is uncertain.
It will be tough for Purdy to keep up these numbers given he's played the Dolphins and Cardinals in consecutive weeks, but he showed in Week 1 that he could put up numbers against a great defense when he carved up the Rams in Australia.
He still has yet to face the defending champion Seahawks twice, though, a team that notoriously flummoxed him in 2025. Tough matches against the Broncos in Week 4, as well as the Vikings, Chiefs, Eagles and Rams again remain.
So while it's a great start to the year, Purdy will need to continue to flex his ability against harder defenses moving forward if he wants to keep up his historic pace.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Brock Purdy's ridiculous start only matched by 3 MVPs in NFL history
