While San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo could potentially be healthy enough to play in Sunday’s NFC Divisional Round matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, he won’t be taking Brock Purdy’s job.
As NFL Network and Fox Sports NFL analyst Brian Baldinger recently pointed out, the 49ers offense was good with Garoppolo running the show, but Purdy has elevated the unit to another level.
“There’s no doubt that the talent and the scheme is brilliant, but this guy Brock Purdy is making it go,” Baldinger said in a recent film breakdown. “… You watch him go through his progressions — it’s like lickety-split, feet set, look right, come back left, feet ready to throw. … The guy — it’s just amazing what Brock Purdy is doing. The offense is great, the talent is supreme, the design is fantastic, the quarterback makes it go.”
In Saturday’s 41-23 domination of the Seattle Seahawks in the wild-card game, Purdy completed 18-of-30 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns and he ran for another, becoming the first rookie QB in NFL history with four total touchdowns in a playoff game.
In the seven games Purdy has played in, the 49ers average 34.6 points and 396.7 yards of total offense per game, and they’re undefeated.
In the 10 games Garoppolo started and finished, San Francisco averaged 23.9 points and 361.3 yards of total offense per game with a 7-3 record.
While both quarterbacks average 243.7 yards passing per game and have thrown 16 touchdowns, Purdy has fewer turnovers (four to six), a better passer rating (117.5 to 103), and he has nearly as many passes of 20 or more yards (25 to 31) in 108 fewer pass attempts.
