Brock Purdy ranks No. 1 in the NFL in the most-important quarterback statistics this season.
But it might come as a surprise that one area in which the 49ers quarterback is perceived to be at the top of the list, he actually ranks only 17th in the league.
Purdy is third in the NFL with 3,553 passing yards this season. But everyone knows his stats are inflated because Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle are so good after the catch, right?
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Uh, not exactly.
Only 47.8 percent of Purdy’s passing yards this season have come after the catch, according to Pro Football Focus. That percentage ranks 17th among the 32 quarterbacks with the most drop-backs this season.
The reason for the relatively low percentage of yards after the catch is because Purdy has been the best thrower of the deep ball in the NFL this season.
On pass attempts traveling 20 or more yards down the field, Purdy is hitting his intended targets at an absurdly high frequency.
San Francisco 49ers
Purdy is 27 of 41 for 860 yards with nine touchdowns and one interception. At 65.9-percent accuracy on deep passes, he leads the NFL by a comfortable margin over No. 2, Houston Texans rookie C.J. Stroud (57.1).
“I feel just more aware of what our offense is and where guys are supposed to be,” Purdy said after throwing for a career-high 368 yards in the 49ers’ 28-16 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at Levi's Stadium.
“And if a defense gives us a look, I’m more ready for it and aware of it. So I have taken [more] deep shots this year.”
Purdy has the arm strength, timing and accuracy to succeed on passes thrown to every quadrant of the field.
His play has been at the top of the list of factors as the 49ers ride a five-game winning streak into their Week 15 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
The 49ers are tied for the best record in the NFL (10-3) and currently hold the top spot in the NFC with Purdy starting every game.
He leads the NFL in passer rating (116.9), QBR (74.2), completion percentage (70.2) and yards per pass attempt (9.9) in his first full season as the starter after entering the NFL as the 262nd and final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Purdy and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott clearly have separated themselves from the pack as the front-runners for NFL MVP with four games remaining in the regular season.
And both have low yards-after-the-catch figures when compared to the other recent winners for the MVP. Prescott ranks 29th with just 42.2 percent of his 3,505 yards coming after the catch.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes won MVP in 2022 and 2018 with 54.3 percent and 51.4 percent of his passing yards coming after the catch. And Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers was MVP in 2021 and 2020 with his YAC at 54.7 percent and 51.9 percent.