Brock Purdy Can End His Season Making Franchise History
Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy has taken the NFL by storm over the past month or so, and he has infused the San Francisco 49ers with a new hope when it comes to competing for a Super Bowl championship they haven’t had.
His stellar play has turned what should’ve been a catastrophic incident – Jimmy Garoppolo‘s severe foot injury in Week 13 – into an opportunity of a lifetime and perhaps a serendipitous development for San Francisco.
Ever since that injury, Purdy has completed 67.38 percent of his passes for 1,130 yards and 10 touchdowns while posting a passer rating of 106.4, and for good measure, he also added an additional rushing touchdown.
He has enabled the 49ers to extend a winning streak that Garoppolo helped start to nine games, and with their upcoming Week 18 matchup against the dismal and banged-up Arizona Cardinals, most expect them to end the regular season with a beastly 10-game win streak.
That matchup will give Purdy the opportunity to set two franchise records for a rookie QB while strengthening the confidence that is growing about his chances of being the team’s first true franchise signal-caller since Steve Young.
Most Touchdown Passes By A 49ers Rookie
In 1974, a then-mediocre 49ers team took quarterback Tom Owen in the 13th round of the NFL draft, and he eventually became their new starter, as they were looking to replace John Brodie, who had recently retired.
Owen threw 10 touchdown passes that year, which has stood ever since as the franchise record for most touchdown passes as a rookie, even though he didn’t quite pan out (he also threw 15 interceptions that year).
Purdy is currently at 10 touchdown passes this season, so it seems like almost a lock he will end up breaking this record.
Most Wins By A Rookie 49ers Quarterback
This record is also held by Owen, who went 4-3 in 1974.
Purdy currently has four wins as a starter (he replaced the injured Garoppolo early in Week 13’s game versus the Miami Dolphins), so a win over Arizona would give him this record as well.
Even better, a win would make him the first 49ers rookie QB to go undefeated in multiple starts since Scott Bull in 1976.
Of course, the only real record Niners fans care about would be Purdy becoming the first rookie signal-caller to lead his team to a Super Bowl championship as a starter.
