Does Brock Purdy have Arm Fatigue?
Sometimes it's easy to forget that Brock Purdy had major elbow surgery in March.
He leads the NFL in so many passing statistics, that injury seems like ancient history and something that wouldn't affect Purdy anymore. But does it affect him? It's worth investigating.
Remember, Purdy started the season hot after not playing much in the preseason. And his arm seemed fresh. And he won his first five games without breaking a sweat. But in the fifth win, a Sunday Night game against the Cowboys, announcer Troy Aikman casually mentioned during the broadcast that Purdy told him his arm hasn't fully recovered yet.
Then Purdy lost three in a row and threw five picks in those games. Suddenly, his arm didn't look so good. He didn't have the zip to fit passes into tight windows, and so he was throwing interceptions with the game on the line.
Then Purdy had a bye week, which he said he used to rest his arm. Meaning he didn't throw. After the bye week, his arm seemed fresh again, and he eviscerated the Jaguars and the Buccaneers. He seemed back.
Then Purdy had a play on Thanksgiving, which was a short week. He had only a few days of rest. And he didn't play his best. He posted a passer rating of just 86.7 and threw a pick-six despite leading the entire game and playing an opponent that hardly showed up. It's possible his arm was tired on a short week.
This week, he'll have extra time to rest and prepare for the Eagles, which should bode well for his arm. But unless the 49ers earn a first-round bye in the playoffs, arm fatigue could be a recurring issue for Purdy this season.