It's safe to say that the San Francisco 49ers cruised to victory in Week 1, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-7 in a dominant victory where the team started the game with four consecutive scoring drives and five straight three-and-outs, creating an early 20-0 lead for the road team.
Offensively, the 49ers saw strong performances from running back Christian McCaffrey, who rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who caught all eight of his targets for 129 yards and two touchdowns, and Deebo Samuel, who caught five passes for 55 yards.
But, the offense was executed at a very high level, at least in the first half, courtesy of quarterback Brock Purdy, who had one of the stronger halves of his career over the first 30 minutes in Pittsburgh.
Purdy continues to improve in areas such as eye manipulation and pocket presence, continuing to build off an impressive rookie year, and that started in Week 1 with a 220-yard, two-touchdown performance.
Did Purdy's Week 1 performance change perceptions about him on a national level? Not really.
Releasing his weekly quarterback rankings, the 33rd Team's Derrik Klassen ranked Purdy outside of his top 20, bumping him up just two spots to No. 23 from his preseason ranking of No. 25.
🐬 Tua climbs five spots
📉 5 QBs trend down
✈️ Zach Wilson checks inDerrik Klassen (@QBKlass) ranks every #NFL starting QB entering Week 2 🎯 pic.twitter.com/GRJLC9kF3h
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) September 13, 2023
Here's what Klassen had to say on Purdy's Week 1 performance.
"Statistically, Brock Purdy was excellent. He maintained 7.6 yards per pass, scrambled effectively and didn't throw any picks. Purdy gave the 49ers' offense everything it needed to let their "Monster" skill player group go to work.
"But that's just it with Purdy. Kyle Shanahan's scheme and the team's elite skill talent make Purdy's life the easiest in the league. There's something to be said about the bit of juice Purdy gives the offense as a play maker outside the pocket, but within the scheme, it's almost autopilot mode. This was no different in the Steelers game than it was last season."
At No. 23, Purdy ranks behind Chicago's Justin Fields, Las Vegas's Jimmy Garoppolo, Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett, Green Bay's Jordan Love, and more.
Is Purdy's ranking a fair assessment of where he stands after Week 1?
