Brock Purdy’s impressive fourth-place finish in the NFL MVP voting has stirred up debate, with one notable former quarterback making a bold claim. Robert Griffin III, who notably thrived under 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s guidance during his rookie year in Washington, argued that Purdy was the epitome of excellence at the quarterback position throughout the 2023 season. Despite the prevailing notion that Purdy’s success is solely attributed to his surroundings, Griffin passionately defended his stance, citing specific reasons why Purdy stood out among his peers.
“When we look at it from a big-picture standpoint, most quarterbacks have guys and they’re surrounded with extreme talent when they win,” Griffin said on RG3 and The Ones. “It just so happens that because Brock Purdy is Mr. Irrelevant and was the last pick in the draft, people are very slow to accept the fact that he was the best quarterback in the NFL this year.
“That’s just by the numbers. You’re talking about first in QBR, first in passer rating, first in touchdown percentage and first in EPA per play. The list goes on and on of what Brock Purdy was able to accomplish, and it wasn’t just the scheme … if he’s always throwing to wide-open people, why is he first in the NFL in tight-window throws?”
Griffin elaborated on how Purdy reinforced his conviction with a remarkable showing in Super Bowl LVIII, showcasing his resilience and skill on the grandest stage of all. Additionally, Griffin delved into an intriguing observation regarding the disproportionate amount of criticism directed at the 24-year-old despite his consistently high level of efficiency on the field. He dissected this phenomenon, shedding light on the complexities of quarterback evaluation in the NFL landscape.
“There’s no way you come away from that game [Super Bowl LVIII] and you say, ‘Oh yeah, he’s just a game manager,’ ” Griffin said. “There wasn’t any moment in the game when you said to yourself, ‘He can’t compete at this level.’ There wasn’t any moment in the season, in totality, where you said, ‘Brock Purdy just can’t get it done.
“Did he have a bad game against the Ravens? Yeah, he had a bad game against the Ravens. Did he have a couple other where he was a little off in the middle of the year? Yeah, when they lost those three games in a row.
“But when I look at the way people breakdown Brock Purdy, I don’t think it really has anything to do with Brock Purdy. I think it has more so to do with how they feel about themselves and how they wish they had that opportunity that he has been blessed with, with the weapons around him.”
Purdy finished the 49ers’ Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs with 255 passing yards and one touchdown, leading San Francisco’s offense on three consecutive scoring drives to take the lead in the fourth quarter and overtime in the heartbreaking loss.
The 24-year-old quarterback threw for 31 regular-season touchdowns while posting a league-leading 9.6 yards per attempt in his sophomore NFL campaign.
While the 49ers fell short of their coveted sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy, Purdy at least proved that San Francisco has a viable quarterback for the foreseeable future.
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