San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy debuted at No. 13 in NFL Media contributor Nick Shook's Week 1 NFL QB Index. Since then, the Niners cruised to a 32-19 victory over the New York Jets in their regular-season opener, resulting in Purdy rising five spots in the rankings for Week 2.
Purdy wasn't the standout in the game—that honor went to running back Jordan Mason, filling in for Christian McCaffrey, and the 49ers' dominant defense. Still, the third-year quarterback was efficient and protected the football, completing 19 of 29 pass attempts for 231 yards.
"He didn't make any mistakes and made a number of plays with the ball," head coach Kyle Shanahan said this week. "When they did have some pressure and stuff, he was able to get rid of it. When guys weren't real open, he still made some really good tight throws. ... And you get into the second half, and I truly felt the only way they could get back into it is if we had a bad turnover, and Brock was very trusting with the football while still making plays."
Shook wasn't as glowing in his assessment of Purdy's performance but acknowledged that the young quarterback did enough to help his team start the season 1-0.
"Purdy's season debut was a bit of a mixed bag," Shook wrote. "It took a bit for him to settle in, and he was fortunate to be bailed out of two consecutive bad throws by a Jets penalty late in the third quarter. Then again, the 49ers didn't need Purdy to throw for 350 to win, not with Jordan Mason carrying them to victory with 147 rushing yards and a touchdown on 28 attempts."
Shook also highlighted wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's rust, a result of missing the entire offseason due to a contract standoff with the 49ers. Aiyuk only recently returned to practice, and against the Jets, caught two passes for 28 yards while missing a potential touchdown catch on a perfectly thrown ball from Purdy.
"Still, the third-year passer was protected well and put together a largely accurate night, throwing for 231 yards by lofting passes over Jets defenders to open targets," Shook continued. "It was a solid start for Purdy -- which is perfectly fine for a 49ers team that cruised to victory."
Shook's top 10 quarterbacks:
- Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
- Lamar Jackson, Ravens
- Josh Allen, Bills
- C.J. Stroud, Texans
- Dak Prescott, Cowboys
- Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers
- Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins
- Brock Purdy, 49ers
- Matthew Stafford, Rams
- Jared Goff, Lions
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