Has the NFL figured out Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy? Don’t bet on it

Even though he’s 7-0 as a starter, San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy has had his share of hiccups in the postseason.

Since he took over as the team’s starter in the first quarter of a Week 13 contest against the Miami Dolphins after starter Jimmy Garoppolo went down with a foot injury, Purdy has completed 151 of 229 passes (65.9%) for 1,920 yards, 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions, good for a 108.0 passer rating.

Any way you look at it, those are sparkling results for any starting quarterback in the NFL, and especially for the final pick of the 2022 draft.

The 49ers are averaging 33 points per game with Purdy as the team’s starter. San Francisco averaged 22.6 points a contest before Purdy took over in Week 13.

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said this week that he spotted Purdy’s poise and playmaking ability early on in training camp, which is why he decided to place the Iowa State product on the active roster rather than risk waiving him and trying to sneak him onto the practice squad.

“When you get a quarterback where we did and you already have two guys, in an ideal world you’re hoping to keep that guy on the practice squad,” Shanahan said, referencing Garoppolo and injured QB1 Trey Lance. “But [Purdy] was looking so good in his reps in practice that eventually we let him go in the game. Then he looked that way in the game, so we thought it’d be way too much of a risk to lose him, so that’s why we ended up having to make the decision we did.

“I’m sure glad that we did it. … He has a natural ability to play the position and that’s why he’s fun to coach. When he does make mistakes, he can see it, he can know why, and we can see it , and we can all understand it, which gives him a chance to get better.”

Against the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday (3 pm ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), Purdy will have to deal with the noise and intensity of a rowdy crowd at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. Shanahan and Purdy said playing in Seattle at Lumen Field late in the regular season was good preparation for what San Francisco could face on Sunday.

Another thing Purdy has faced more in the postseason is defenses bringing more pressure. Against the Cowboys last week, Purdy was pressured on 29% of his dropbacks. Against the Seahawks in the wild-card round, he was pressured on 20% of his dropbacks.

The increased pressure has affected Purdy’s ability to push the ball down the field. According to Next Gen Stats, he has completed just 4 of 12 passes for 70 yards and one touchdown during the postseason, taking three sacks.

Purdy and the 49ers now have to contend with one of the best pass-rushing units in the NFL in Philadelphia’s defensive front. The Eagles lead the league with 75 sacks (including the postseason), the most in the NFL since the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears.

According to Next Gen Stats, the Eagles have generated at least a 34% pressure rate in each of their past seven games.

“What affects any quarterback is the way we execute and the way we affect him throughout the game,” Eagles defensive coordinator Johnathan Gannon said this week.

So, how will Shanahan and the 49ers protect Purdy and keep the Eagles from pinning their ears back when the rookie drops back? By running the football. The Eagles allowed 121.6 rushing yards per game during the regular season, No. 16 in the NFL.

In particular, opposing offenses were effectively running to the perimeter of Philadelphia’s defense. According to Next Gen Stats, the Eagles allowed 1,150 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on outside runs during the regular season, No. 13 in the NFL.

On the flip side, the 49ers totaled 1,329 yards and 11 touchdowns on outside runs during the regular season, No. 7 in the league.

“I think what’s most important is making sure we shut down their run game,” said Eagles defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. “No matter who it is – whether it’s Christian [McCaffrey] or Deebo [Samuel] – their offensive line wants to move the line of scrimmage and play on our side, where we want to play on their side. So it’s important for us to shut down that run and make them a one-dimensional team.”

In other words, the Eagles want to make Mr. Irrelevant beat them. It will be a true test to see if he can.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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