Both the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins started seventh-round rookies in their playoff-openers during NFL Super Wild Card Weekend. Brock Purdy and Skylar Thompson, both of whom were selected in the seventh round in 2022, drew starts for their teams in the Wild Card Round, and they made history with their impressive performances. While only Purdy and the Niners will be advancing to the Divisional Round, the two quarterbacks are now the highest-scoring rookie QBs in NFL Playoff history.
Via NFL Research on Twitter:
âThe only rookie starting QB in NFL history to lead his team to more points in a playoff game than Skylar Thompson (31) was Brock Purdy (41) in yesterday's NFC Wild Card Game.â
Purdy and the 49ers ran up the score against the Seattle Seahawks, brushing aside Geno Smith and Co. 41-23. The 41 points scored by the Niners were the most by a team with a rookie starting quarterback in NFL Playoff history.
While Skylar Thompson and the Dolphins were defeated 34-31 by the Buffalo Bills, their scoring output was the second most behind Purdy for a rookie QB. The fact that both were seventh-rounders, including Mr. Irrelevant, the final pick of the draft, adds to the impressive nature of their performances.
In his playoff debut, Brock Purdy completed 60 percent of his pass attempts for 332 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He rushed for another TD, too, bringing his tally to four for the game.
As for Thompson, he didn't fare quite as well. Thompson completed just 18-of-45 pass attempts for 220 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Despite that, the Dolphins kept things close against the Bills, even taking a late lead before falling by three points after entering as 14-point underdogs.