San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has been impressing with his recent performances, leading all NFL quarterbacks in various categories. However, many still doubt his status among the NFL's elite. Following a dominating Thanksgiving win over the Seattle Seahawks to conclude their November slate of games, even Purdy's skeptics are beginning to acknowledge the 23-year-old's potential to lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl victory.
After Thursday's game, head coach Kyle Shanahan fielded questions from reporters, including whether he would categorize Purdy as elite and if he considers the player a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback.
Shanahan initially hesitated in his response, weary of saying the wrong thing and generating a flurry of headlines on Friday morning. While he believes the 49ers can succeed with Purdy, so much more goes into winning a championship.
"The talk of that stuff is so ridiculous," Shanahan said. "The words 'elite,' 'Super Bowl quarterback,' I mean, this is the NFL. You've got to have a really good football team to even talk about having a chance to get there. And when you have a really good football team, you better have a really good quarterback. And when you do that, you still better have luck with injuries, you still got to play good defense, you got to do everything."
Drawing on his understanding of NFL history, Shanahan acknowledged the challenges many talented quarterbacks face in their quests to win it all.
"There's also been a lot of great quarterbacks who haven't won Super Bowls," Shanahan continued. "And the ones who do don't win them on their own. They've got to be on a good team, and they've got to have defenses, and there's so many things that go into it. So I always kind of hate that conversation."
The 49ers look in good shape as they exit Week 12 of the NFL season. The team increased its lead in the NFC West and jumped into the No. 2 spot in the NFC playoff picture thanks to the Green Bay Packers beating the Detroit Lions.
Next on the schedule is the team perched above them in those standings, the Philadelphia Eagles. The two teams will battle in a rematch of the NFC Championship Game on December 3.
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