Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The San Francisco 49ers cruised to a 35-16 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, improving to 4-0 on the season thanks to stellar performances from running back
Christian McCaffrey, who scored a career-high four touchdowns, and quarterback
Brock Purdy, who broke the 49ers' single-game completion rate record with a 20/21, 283-yard passing performance, bypassing legend Steve Young's record 90% rate.
As a result, the 49ers scored five touchdowns on six offensive drives in Purdy's best game of his career, and the quarterback's teammates were nothing but complimentary following the impressive performance.
Defensive tackle
Javon Hargrave beamed about his young quarterback, calling Purdy's performance a one-of-a-kind game.
"I think it's really unseen for someone to go 20 for 21," Hargrave said. "That's just a one-of-a-kind game. We did a great job today on offense."
McCaffrey, who earned significant praise of his own for a monster performance, praised Purdy, pointing out his skillset, as well as his intangibles, as why he's a complete quarterback.
"I think you can go down the list of what makes a quarterback good and he checks every box," McCaffrey said. "Then he has all the intangibles that would be phenomenal. He brings a kind of swagger and energy every day that is fun to be around. He's quiet but very confident and he expresses that in the way he plays. It's just awesome to have him in the huddle."
Wide receiver
Brandon Aiyuk has been the main beneficiary of Purdy's strong start, catching 17 passes for 320 yards through three games, including a career-high 148 yards on Sunday against the Cardinals.
The wideout commended Purdy's ability to be efficient in the impressive outing, which has helped the 49ers consistently score 30 points this season.
"Yeah, we didn't know until just right now when [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] was breaking down the team, he told us that he was 20 of 21," Aiyuk said. "We didn't even know what the one incompletion was. He told us that it was just a throw-away on third down. So that's crazy. It just tells you the type of quarterback that he is and how efficient he is knowing where to go with the football."
Center
Jake Brendel attributed Purdy's ascendance to the work he did in the offseason to become even more comfortable in the offseason, which is why expectations for the second-year quarterback have increased.
"I think he's been studying his butt off in the off-season," Brendel said about his quarterback. "He really knows the offense even more than he did last season. His audibles, his checks and the efficiency he has on the line of scrimmage and in the huddle has greatly improved. He's just been getting better every single week. So really, I expect good things from him."
Of course, head coach Kyle Shanahan chimed in on his quarterback's performance, pointing out Purdy's ability to make big throws, but also find different ways to pick apart the Cardinals defense in the efficient outing.
"He was great. He was almost perfect. But that was a third-and-20 something anyways, but he was great. Hung in there, made some big throws," Shanahan said. "A lot of times that defense is real, they don't give you the big throws so you kind of got to pick them apart and he was very efficient at doing that. When he had his opportunities for the big ones, he saw it right and made the right throws and our guys came down with it."
Through four games, Purdy has completed 72.3% of his passes, throwing for 1,019 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
He'll look to build off a career performance against a tough Dallas Cowboys defense in Week 5, where the 49ers will look to remain undefeated in a Sunday Night game at Levi's Stadium.
Related News
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has showcased elite-level performances this season. Nevertheless, some seem reluctant to give the second-year player the respect that many 49ers fans believe he deserves.
NFL Network reporter Omar Ruiz joined KNBR on Monday morning and was asked if he senses a reluctance among the media to categorize Purdy among the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks.
"Yeah, and I think as long as he has a loaded Forty-Niner team around him, it'll probably always be like that unless he wins a Super Bowl," Ruiz responded on the "Murph and Mac" show.
Ruiz drew parallels to former Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson's journey to being considered among the league's best. Initially, the team's outstanding defensive play
Tight end George Kittle values the presence of Brock Purdy in the San Francisco 49ers' huddle. The quarterback has played efficiently, contributing to the team's three consecutive wins following a costly October slump.
Purdy is on track to become the first 49ers quarterback to surpass 4,000 passing yards since Jeff Garcia did so in 2000. In fact, his projected 4,437 yards would set a franchise record.
"I think I can speak for everybody on our offense, we're continually impressed with the things that Brock does all the time," Kittle told Jim Rome on Tuesday. "His consistency every single day, the relationship that he's built with all of our skilled players, all the guys that he gets the ball to, it's pretty amazing. And we all feel that [comfort] with
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has been named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week in recognition of his impressive performance during the team's Week 11 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Levi's Stadium.
Purdy completed 21 of his 25 passing attempts for 333 yards and three touchdowns, earning a perfect passer rating of 158.3. Notably, he is the first 49ers quarterback to do so with a minimum of 20 pass attempts (Joe Montana did it in a game in 1989 on 19 attempts). Furthermore, Purdy became the first 49ers quarterback to post a passer rating of 140.0 or higher in consecutive games since Alex Smith did so in 2012.
Purdy became the third player in NFL history under the age of 24 to earn a perfect passer rating with a minimum of 20
The San Francisco 49ers are saying it's just another game, as they prepare to travel to Philadelphia to take on the NFC-leading Eagles. But for the fanbase, this isn't just another game. It's Eagles' week. This game means a lot in the NFC standings, of course. But there's also a sense of payback. The team may say it's not the case, but the fans would disagree.
We solicited your questions for our latest edition of the 49ers Webzone Mailbag, and you came through. So let's jump in and see what's on your mind.
I noticed Brock Purdy was wearing an elbow sleeve on his repaired right elbow. Is he having issues with his elbow? This is the first time I have seen him wearing this sleeve. - Craig L.
I noticed the same thing during the Seattle game. It was a