It looks like "Mr. Irrelevant" became the most relevant piece to the 49ers Super Bowl LVII puzzle.
After leading San Francisco to a 35-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Levi's Stadium, NBC Sports Bay Area's Donte Whitner believes that Brock Purdy is the most important piece to the 49ers' Super Bowl aspirations.
"This 49ers offense is a lot better with Brock Purdy behind center than it ever was with Jimmy Garoppolo or Trey Lance," Whitner claimed on the latest edition of "Hitner's Hot Takes."
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Whitner notes that Garoppolo was throwing the ball accurately and efficiently and rarely, if ever, turned the ball over. Additionally, Whitner said that while Lance has made "big" plays downfield, the 22-year-old struggled with accuracy and efficiency under center.
Enter Purdy, who Whitner said is a "combination" of both Garoppolo and Lance's best traits and ultimately has what it takes to get the 49ers to the big game on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Ariz.
"The ability to improvise, creating explosive plays, is the final dimension that Kyle Shanahan and this 49ers offense needs to get them to the Super Bowl," Whitner concluded.
Along with showing that he can sling the ball far if needed, Purdy also showed that he could run the ball effectively, as evidenced by his 2-yard touchdown run in the second to score the 49ers' second touchdown against Tampa Bay.
San Francisco 49ers
Purdy also made history, being the first rookie in the Super Bowl era with at least two touchdown passes, one rushing touchdown and a passer rating of 125 or higher (134.0) in his first career start, per the 49ers.
RELATED: Whitner argues Purdy offers everything 49ers thought Lance would
While it's clear that Purdy is a different quarterback from either Garoppolo or Lance, his uniqueness stood out to Whitner as a potential game-changer moving forward.
Should everything go the 49ers' way, perhaps the missing piece to the 49ers' sixth Super Bowl championship puzzle was on the sideline all along.