The San Francisco 49ers had already clinched a playoff berth, yet Monday Night Football still turned electric as Brock Purdy met the moment head-on. Under the lights, the 49ers quarterback delivered a performance that echoed through franchise history. In Week 16's Monday Night Football showdown against the Indianapolis Colts, Brock Purdy authored a career night in a 48-27 victory, punctuated by his fifth touchdown, a milestone no 49ers quarterback had reached in 35 years. The crowd felt it and the sideline knew it. History unfolded in real time.
BROCK PURDY WITH A CAREER-HIGH OF 5 TOUCHDOWNS 🤯pic.twitter.com/4wvrtj6P5L
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 23, 2025
The fifth touchdown came with precision and poise. It marked Purdy’s second scoring pass to Christian McCaffrey on the night, another clean read finished with calm execution. Nothing looked forced. Nothing looked rushed. Each throw carried confidence and control, the kind that settles a team and fuels belief. Five touchdowns on MNF is not noise. It’s authority.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Purdy now joins an elite club that includes Steve Young and Joe Montana as the only quarterbacks in 49ers franchise history to throw five touchdown passes in a single game. The last time it happened came on the biggest stage imaginable, when Montana tossed five touchdowns in Super Bowl XXIV against the Denver Broncos on January 28, 1990. That was three and a half decades ago. Until now.
Purdy, 49ers cruise to victory
The significance didn’t stop there. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Brock Purdy became the first quarterback ever to throw five touchdown passes for the 49ers on Monday Night Football. That detail matters. MNF magnifies pressure. It exposes hesitation. Purdy showed none.
This wasn’t chaos or improvisation. It was structure. Rhythm. Trust between quarterback and playmakers. McCaffrey powered the offense. Purdy guided it. The result felt inevitable once momentum took hold.
San Francisco has watched legends define eras before. On this night, the 49ers watched Brock Purdy step into rare territory with his five touchdowns and 295 yards passing. If this is the standard he’s setting under the brightest lights, what does it mean for what’s coming next?
