Friendly 49ers schedule has Brock Purdy set up for Year 2 success
Brock Purdy's success down the stretch and in the postseason was one of the biggest surprises of the 2022 season. The 49ers are banking on him maintaining that level of performance in his first full campaign as a starter, and the standard of opposition he will face could be a significant help. Purdy won five […]
Brock Purdy's success down the stretch and in the postseason was one of the biggest surprises of the 2022 season. The 49ers are banking on him maintaining that level of performance in his first full campaign as a starter, and the standard of opposition he will face could be a significant help.
Purdy won five straight games as a starter in the regular season last year before going on to help the 49ers to two further wins in the playoffs as they reached the NFC Championship Game.
That storybook run followed Purdy stepping in for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13 against the Dolphins and inspiring San Francisco to victory in a superb relief effort.
The ease with which the final pick in last year's draft took to quarterbacking one of the NFC's elite was made more impressive by the defenses he faced.
After coming through a trial by fire against an ultra-aggressive Dolphins defense, Purdy thrived despite three of his seven games prior to the NFC title game coming against defenses that ended the year in the top 12 by dropback Expected Points Added (EPA) per play.
Purdy was excellent in his first start against a Buccaneers defense that was 12th in dropback EPA and overcame some first-half struggles to help the Niners hang 37 points on the Commanders defense (9th in dropback EPA).
His clearest struggles came in the Divisional Round win over the Cowboys. Dallas' defense was fourth in dropback EPA and severely frustrated Purdy for much of a tight contest.
Still, per rbsdm.com, Purdy recorded a completion percentage over expectation of 4.4 in that 19-9 win.
A torn elbow ligament on the first offensive series prevented Purdy from testing himself against an Eagles defense that was first in dropback EPA, but he will have the opportunity to face significantly more hospitable defenses when he takes the reins of the offense for 2023.
Indeed, 11 of the 49ers' games in the coming season will be against defenses that finished the previous campaign in the bottom half of the league in dropback EPA.
Defensive performance is volatile and can be tough to predict from year to year.
However, the schedule the 49ers face appears to be one conducive to success for Purdy, who is said to be on track to recover from elbow surgery in time for Week 1 of the new campaign.
Impressive displays from 49er signal-callers will, at least while Kyle Shanahan is the head coach, come with the caveat that they are playing in arguably the most quarterback-friendly offense in the NFL.
But that should not take away from what Purdy achieved as a rookie versus some stern defenses. If Purdy capitalizes on a schedule filled with favorable matchups, it should silence any talk of his incredible 2022 exploits being a flash in the pan.
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Featured Image Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
