The San Francisco 49ers are riding a 12-game winning streak into the NFC Championship Game, where they'll face off against the Philadelphia Eagles, who ended up as the No. 1 seed in the conference this season after a league-best 14-3 year.
Part of that success for the 49ers has come with the revelation of rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who has won each of his first seven starts after replacing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo following the veteran's foot injury against the Miami Dolphins.
Purdy is amongst great company in the Championship round, facing off against Jalen Hurts this weekend, while potentially seeing Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes or Cincinnati Bengals signal-caller Joe Burrow, should the 49ers make the Super Bowl.
So, following his impressive slate of games, where does Purdy rank amongst the remaining playoff quarterbacks?
1. Patrick Mahomes
While there has been significant talk this week about Joe Burrow potentially unseating Patrick Mahomes for a second consecutive season in the AFC Championship Game, there's not much reason to believe that the latter isn't still the best quarterback in the league.
Mahomes is likely to win his second MVP after throwing for a league-high 5,250 yards and 41 touchdowns, while completing 67.1% of his passes.
His injured ankle may very well play a role in Kansas City's championship game, but Mahomes still remains the top quarterback in the NFL, especially after the year he had without the elite offensive weapons necessary.
2. Joe Burrow
Burrow has elevated his game to new levels since entering the NFL, improving in many metrics, while seeing the entire field at a much better level, resulting in fewer turnovers, despite throwing the football more in 2022 as compared to his first two seasons in the league.
Burrow continues to be accurate from the pocket, earning his first Pro Bowl honors this season, which has led to pinpoint precision and a better connection with his wide receivers.
While he isn't the best quarterback in the league at the moment, he should be one step ahead of a different potential MVP discussed later on.
3. Jalen Hurts
While Hurts isn't as good of a passer as either of his two predecessors on this list, his rushing ability places him above Brock Purdy by a significant margin.
Hurts drastically improved in 2022 with the addition of star receiver A.J. Brown, throwing for over 3,700 yards, while passing for 22 touchdowns and rushing for 13, as opposed to six interceptions.
But, Hurts's biggest trait comes with his dual-threat ability, as the quarterback rushed for 760 yards on 165 attempts, scoring another 13 touchdowns on the ground.
After struggling with accuracy over his first two years, Hurts saw significant improvement in 2022, completing 66.5% of his passes after a 61.3% completion rate in 2021, while remaining a downfield passer.
Hurts comes behind the two quarterbacks above him, but was a top-five quarterback this season, and is reaching that level overall.
4. Brock Purdy
Brock Purdy has been an amazing story this season, coming off the bench as a third-string rookie seventh-round pick and delivering wins in his first seven games, while breaking a number of records during the process.
In his time as the starting quarterback, Purdy has elevated the 49ers' offense with his sneaky athleticism, as well as his willingness to attempt downfield passes, which has resulted in San Francisco averaging over 32 points per game since he joined the lineup.
However, at this stage in his career, it's unfair to place Purdy any higher than fourth, given the lack of longevity and the level of play compared to the other quarterbacks on this list, as they're all arguably top-five signal-callers in the NFL.
Still, with the team around him and the way he's executed to this point, Purdy provides the 49ers with a chance to move forth to the Super Bowl if he continues to play turnover-free football, while keeping up his level of aggression in attempting downfield passes when the window is available.
- Rohan Chakravarthi
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Written by:Writer/Reporter for 49ers Webzone
