San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. That is a pick (usually) so inconsequential, that the player picked there is actually nicknamed, “Mr. Irrelevant.” Well, after the 49ers' Week 15 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night, Purdy is one of the most relevant QBs in the league right now after he proved that he can absolutely lead his team to a 49ers Super Bowl in February.
Why Brock Purdy proved he can lead 49ers to Super Bowl
Former Iowa State Cyclones QB and pick No. 262 of the 2022 NFL Draft, Brock Purdy, is now officially the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers moving forward. Week 1 starter Trey Lance went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2, and backup/last year’s starter, Jimmy Garoppolo, suffered a foot injury in Week 13 and is likely done for the season as well.
That leaves Brock Purdy.
Coming in for Jimmy G in Week 13, the soon-to-be 23-year-old (Happy Birthday on December 27!) threw 37 passes, completing 25 of them for 210 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. More importantly, the Niners won the game vs. the Miami Dolphins 33-17.
In Purdy’s first start, he was an efficient 16-of-21 for 185 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 35-7 win over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And in the 49ers Week 15 primetime Thursday game vs. the Seahawks, Purdy was excellent again. The team won 21-13, and the young signal-caller was 17-of-26 for 217 yards with two TDs and no INTs.
These games proved that Purdy can play quarterback in the NFL. But did they also prove he can become the next 49ers Super Bowl QB?
Well, after these wins — the latest in a string of seven consecutive Ws — the 49ers sure look like a Super Bowl team. They have weapons all over the offense, with tight end George Kittle, wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel (when he comes back in a few weeks from his injury), and running back Christian McCaffrey. They also have an excellent offensive line.
This offense is a 49ers Super Bowl-caliber unit. The only thing it truly needs under center is a competent game manager who can make some throws and limit mistakes. With a 66.7% completion rate this season and six TDs to two INTs, Brock Purdy is doing just that.
The other reason the 49ers don’t need the next Joe Montana or Steve Young at QB is that they have the No. 1 defense in the NFL this season.
Even after defensive coordinator, DeMeco Ryans’ unit has played one more game than the rest of the league (thanks to the Thursday night appearance), the 49ers D has still given up 11 fewer points than the second-place Buffalo Bills defense. With stars like Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Arik Armstead, Jimmie Ward, and Talanoa Hufanga on the field opposite him, Purdy doesn’t need to be a hero with the ball.
And it’s not just the 49ers' Week 15 win over the Seahawks that shows that a young QB with great weapons and a stellar defense can win it all. History tells us this, too.
In 2013, the Seahawks had the No. 1 scoring defense, an incredible running game with Marshawn Lynch, and solid WRs in Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin. That allowed second-year signal-caller Russell Wilson to guide the team to a Super Bowl trophy.
Eight years earlier, the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers did nearly the same thing. Second-year sensation Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t yet the top-level QB he would become, but the No. 3 scoring defense along with Jerome Bettis, Hines Ward, Antwaan Randle-El, and Heath Miller took the young QB all the way.
The real comparison, though, is the 2001 New England Patriots.
That year, the Pats had the No. 6 scoring D, 1,100-yard rusher Antowain Smith, and pass-catchers Troy Brown, David Patten, and Terry Glenn. Most importantly, though, the team had the No. 199 pick of the 2000 NFL Draft, Tom Brady.
And that situation didn’t lead to just one Super Bowl. It led to six for the Patriots and one for the Buccaneers.
Is Brock Purdy the next Tom Brady? Probably not, but time will tell. Can he do what a young Brady — and Wilson and Roethlisberger — did? Absolutely. The 49ers have the overall talent that these other QBs did and the unflappable presence that he showed off in the 49ers' Week 15 win over the Seahawks.
A 49ers Super Bowl certainly isn’t guaranteed at this point. But with Purdy at the wheel, San Francisco can definitely make it that far if things break right.
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