Purdy is keeping some good company in a historical sense with his rise from Mr. Irrelevant to a steady force for the reigning NFC West champs. His 117.5 passer rating is second highest among QBs in their first six stars in the Super Bowl era, behind only Kurt Warner (131.5) — another “out of nowhere” quarterback.
“Purdy, he’s done a great job since the moment he came in there and started his first start,” Aiyuk said. “Even when he ended up taking over in that Miami game. I think trust is very big. We talk about it in our offense all the time. If the quarterback can trust we’re going to be in a spot, where we’re supposed to be, then we can complete passes even when we have terrible looks. We can still continue to complete the ball, move the sticks, keep the offense flowing. And I think trust is the main thing with that.
“But Purdy, I’m enjoying playing with him. He gives us confidence every single week. He gives us a bunch of confidence. So much confidence going in every game that not only are we going to win the game, but you have a chance to have a great game as well. So I’m loving playing with him.”
It’s clear Kyle Shanahan and the coaching staff trust Purdy to keep the offense on pace, make the correct read, and, on occasion, get out of trouble. Eventually, some team will knock him around and give him a rough outing — it happens even to the greatest. At that moment, the question will be how the young quarterback bounces back.
For now, the Niners will try to keep the regular-season streak rolling against division rival L.A. and a Rams club coming off an impressive Week 1 victory in Seattle.