Performance of Rams' Rival QB Has Fallen Off a Cliff

The Los Angeles Rams have one of the most well-respected quarterbacks on their team. However, does their division rival have one of the most overrated quarterbacks?

Sep 22, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) is brought down by Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Braden Fiske (55) and defensive tackle Kobie Turner (91) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams are in the playoff hunt and have won four of their last five games. However, one of their division rivals has not been as fortunate.

The San Francisco 49ers have gone 3-3 over their last six games. Grant Cohn from Sports Illustrated believes their record has been affected by quarterback Brock Purdy's dip in play.

“Brock Purdy had one of the most impressive starts to a career of any quarterback ever,” Cohn said. “But for the past 11 months, he has been anything but great. When he burst onto the scene, teams couldn't stop him and the 49ers offense. He won 18 of his first 22 starts, and his quarterback rating was 116.2. He seemed like a phenomenon or a superhero.

“And then he faced the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas night. This was supposed to be Purdy's coronation as the MVP of the NFL. But he threw four interceptions, and he lost. And since then, he hasn't been the dominant quarterback we came to know.

“Since Christmas night, Purdy's win-loss record is 8-7, his completion percentage is 65, and his passer rating is 91.5. That's as average as it gets. Keep in mind, the NFL average completion percentage this season is 65.4, and the league average passer rating this season is 91.6.”

Cohn noted Purdy's intangibles, which helped him succeed during his short time in the league. However, Purdy also has multiple deficiencies that are still present, which caused him almost to go undrafted.

“Purdy is a terrific scrambler and an excellent competitor. But when it comes to throwing the ball, there's nothing special about him,” Cohn said. “He's not overwhelmingly accurate, nor does he have a strong arm. And that's why he was the last pick in the draft.

“Now defenses have caught up to the way Kyle Shanahan uses Purdy, and they know what to expect. Which means Purdy and Shanahan have to evolve. Otherwise, the 49ers will make Purdy one of the highest-paid players in the league next offseason just to get league-average efficiency. That would be a bad investment.”

It must be noted that when he had some of the best talent in the league and opposing defenses did not have an entire season's worth of game film on him, Purdy was stellar. 

However, once Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle were less than fully healthy, reality set in for Purdy. At the same time, Purdy's story of going from Mr. Irrelevant, the very last pick in the NFL Draft, to starting quarterback in the Super Bowl was a solid story for a season.

However, the fact of the matter is that Purdy's rise to success is not sustainable in the National Football League. Unless he has top-tier talent at multiple positions around him, Purdy is not nearly the quarterback he was made out to be last season.

It is okay to admit that he was the product of one of the greatest coaching minds in NFL history and some of the best talent in the NFL at multiple skill positions around him.

Many quarterbacks in the league would be successful under Shanahan while giving the ball to Samuel, Aiyuk, McCaffrey, and Kittle.

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