KC Chiefs Taking 49ers QB Brock Purdy Seriously Entering Super Bowl LVIII

Despite Purdy being labeled a game manager by many, the Chiefs buy his ability to impact Super Bowl LVIII.

All week long, Super Bowl LVIII discourse has been centered around the quarterback matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. After all, Patrick Mahomes is clearly the better signal-caller in a game with Brock Purdy on the opposing sideline.

While that's true, the "game manager" label some have slapped on Purdy isn't something the AFC representatives are buying into. Kansas City recognizes Purdy's productivity this season and how his impact can go beyond simply executing what's asked of him at a basic level.

For Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, all it takes is a trip back in time to the NFC Championship Game. 

"He's accurate, he's smart," Reid said. "Everybody says, 'Well, he's short and he can't run' but he basically won the game last week by running the ball — along with throwing it — but his legs helped him in that game. And then he did it under pressure. So all of those major categories that you kind of check off for quarterbacks, he's got all of that. That's what he's presenting and showing everybody." 

In that aforementioned contest, Purdy completed 20 of 31 passes for 267 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also added five carries for 48 yards on the ground. That statistical output isn't anything to write home about, especially considering he went 7-of-15 with a 39.0 passer rating in the first half and logged negative rushing yardage. For a large chunk of the game, Purdy struggled. When it mattered, though, he stepped up and delivered. In the second half of play, he helped engineer five scoring drives in a row.

As a result, Mahomes isn't one bit surprised that Purdy has found himself in the NFL's most important yearly contest. 

"I've seen Brock play since he's in college and knew how good he was," Mahomes said. "I watch Big 12 a lot, so I watched him play a ton, and he was a winner and made plays happen all through his college career. Usually when you can make it happen in college no matter what your surroundings are, and to turn around a program like he did [at] Iowa State, you're going to make it happen when you get your opportunity in the NFL. I wasn't very surprised whenever he's had the success that he's had because he's a winner and he's a guy that goes out there and competes. I've always said more than a football player, you've got to be someone that competes. He's one of those guys."

During the regular season, Purdy's highs were among the tops in the league. In fact, he led all qualified passers in touchdown percentage (7.0), yards per attempt (9.6), yards per completion (13.9), passer rating (113.0) and QBR (72.7). Additionally, he had a healthy lead in EPA per play. By some accounts, he produced at an MVP level. 

By other accounts, Purdy's duality and environment add fuel to the narrative of him not being a premier field general. For example, nearly a quarter of his dropbacks this postseason have been negatively graded. He also has Pro Bowl or All-Pro talent around him at running back, tight end and wide receiver (twice). That, in conjunction with the previous success of players like Jimmy Garoppolo in Kyle Shanahan's quarterback-friendly system, leaves plenty of reason to doubt Purdy.

Again, however, not according to the Chiefs. For Steve Spagnuolo's defense, a top-performing unit in the NFL, slowing down such a massive collection of talent will be one of the toughest tasks of the 2023-24 campaign. That side of the ball is taking Purdy seriously, as the Detroit Lions learned only one game ago that the 49ers can seemingly flip a switch and become extremely tough to play against. The two pillars of Kansas City's team are well aware of that, too. If there's one person who recognizes an intriguing talent under center, it's Mahomes. 

"He's done a great job in these last two years that he's played," Mahomes said. "I haven't got to play him yet. He does a great job extending plays, he does a great job making the throws and he's a winner. I didn't play him when he was at Iowa State but when he was at Iowa State playing against my (Texas Tech) Red Raiders, he was winning. He's always been a winner, and that's what it takes in this league. It's not always the flashy plays — can you go out there and win? He does both the flashy and he wins football games."

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