Brock Purdy’s dismal four-interception game Monday night makes it hard for some 49ers fans and most NFL pundits to forget just how historically good the quarterback has been this season.
It’s understandable in the heat of the moment, though, with this case in point: Did you know Purdy now is just the third 49ers quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards in a season?
Probably not. After all, hardly anyone mentioned it after the 49ers’ 33-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Such is life in the “what have you done for me lately” NFL. But what Purdy has done all season is smash 49ers and NFL records, and another franchise mark now is in his sights.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Purdy has thrown for 4,050 yards, ranking him third on the 49ers’ single-season list, behind Jeff Garcia (4,278 yards in 2000) and Steve Young (4,170 yards in 1998). Young also passed the 4,000-yard mark in 1993, with 4,023. And with 229 yards in Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders, Purdy would become the 49ers’ single-season passing yards leader.
Purdy reached 4,000 passing yards much quicker than Garcia and Young, thanks to a current team-record 9.7 yards per attempt and fourth-best 68.8 completion percentage for a full-time starter. Purdy’s 112.2 passer rating ranks third in 49ers history, just a shade behind Young’s 112.8 in 1994 and Joe Montana’s 112.4 in 1989.
The 49ers won the Super Bowl in both of those seasons.
Purdy knows how he must improve after the worst game of his short NFL career, and with the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed still for grabs, the 49ers hope those adjustments will come Sunday.
San Francisco 49ers
Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast