Has Brock Purdy Finally Silenced his Critics?
Brock Purdy is an MVP candidate and he's going to the Super Bowl in his first full season as a starting quarterback. Has he finally silenced his critics?
Yes and no.
His supporters will point out that Purdy led two comebacks in the playoffs -- one against the Packers and one against the Lions. Critics had questioned whether Purdy could play well when trailing because he rarely trailed during the regular season. But he addressed that concern with big-time second-half playoff performances at home.
Purdy also showed the football-watching world how mobile he is. He's not just a pocket passer who can execute Kyle Shanahan's scheme if the first read is open -- that's Jimmy Garoppolo. Brock Purdy is extremely elusive, he can make pass rushers whiff completely and he can run for big gains. This ability makes him extremely dangerous.
But his critics will point out that despite the comebacks, Purdy struggled the past two games against defenses that aren't particularly good. Against Green Bay, his passer rating was 86.7. And against Detroit, his passer rating was 89. And his numbers could have been much worse, considering the Packers dropped two interceptions and the Lions dropped two as well.
Purdy's critics will give him credit for his ability to scramble and ad lib, but they'll still question his ability to throw, because he forces passes over the middle of the field into tight coverage just like Garoppolo did, and these mistakes can lose games.
Purdy's critics always will have something to complain about until he wins the Super Bowl. He can do that in two weeks.
