SANTA CLARA — Two-hundred and sixty-one players were picked before the 49ers selected Brock Purdy with the final slot of the 2022 NFL Draft earlier this year.
Tom Brady can appreciate a late-drafted QB underdog story, but he probably didn’t like being on the wrong end of history on Sunday. The reigning Mr. Irrelevant, Purdy, played the role of David, taking down Brady, football’s Goliath. Inconceivably, Purdy outdueled Brady and led the Niners to a 35-7 shellacking that few could have seen coming before the game.
Back in 2001, Brady went 199th overall as a sixth-round pick out of Michigan following his stellar career at Serra High School in San Mateo. This wasn’t a good homecoming. At the ripe age of 45, Brady suffered one of the worst defeats of his inimitable career. The 28-point defeat was the third-worst of his career, a total of 366 regular-season games.
This wasn’t a bizarro world. Brock really outdueled Brady. Mr. Irrelevant outdid the GOAT in his first NFL start.
The Niners have talked up Purdy’s decision-making, as he made his first start following Jimmy Garoppolo’s foot injury last week. Purdy showed he’s not afraid to take chances, as he finished 16-of-21 for 185 yards with two throwing touchdowns – a 27-yard toss to Christian McCaffrey and a 32-yard connection with Brandon Aiyuk. Both times, Purdy showed some guile and delivered the ball in a perfect window.
Purdy even showed off his legs, scrambling on a few occasions to extend plays and adding a two-yard rushing score on the first play in the second quarter. The Niners led 35-0 at one point early in the third, after McCaffrey scampered 38 yards for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, the Niners defense made life hell for Brady and Co. They picked him off twice and held him to 34-of-55 passing for 253 yards with a touchdown. After his second pick, when linebacker Dre Greenlaw batted the ball in the air and bounced it to himself, Brady could only lie on the ground and look skyward in despair.
It’s not often (or, ever?) you see a third-string quarterback bring Brady to his mercy. Despite serious injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo this season, the Niners are still humming. Remarkably, the 49ers have won six straight games, rattling off their longest win streak of the Shanahan era since starting off 8-0 in 2019.
Eventually, with the Niners up by 28 in the final period, veteran backup Josh Johnson took over for mop-up duty.
Purdy became the fifth rookie quarterback to ever outduel Brady, joining Ben Roethlisberger (2004), Mark Sanchez (2009), Colt McCoy (2010) and Geno Smith (2013).
About the only thing that went wrong for the Niners were injuries, as wide receiver Deebo Samuel, defensive tackles Kevin Givens and Kerry Hyder Jr., cornerbacks Dontae Johnson, Deommodore Lenoir and Samuel Womack all got dinged up.
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