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Brock Purdy capped an astonishing rise this season after getting his chance with the San Francisco 49ers when Jimmy Garoppolo went out injured. Being the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdy was not expected to see any action this season. The "Mr. Irrelevant" was the third-choice quarterback on the 49ers roster.
However, things started breaking Purdy's way from the beginning, and it turned out that one man's pain was another man's gain. First, Trey Lance, slated to be the starting quarterback this season, got injured, which allowed Jimmy Garoppolo to become the starter and Brock Purdy to rise to the backup quarterback position. As mentioned, when Jimmy Garoppolo suffered an injury in the Miami Dolphins game on December 5, 2022, Purdy became the starter.
With a strong system around him, the 23-year-old made the best use of his opportunity as he showed his skillset to impress fans and peers across the board. Since coming into the Dolphins game, Purdy has thrown for 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions. His passer rating is well over 100. His performances have allowed San Francisco to carry on seamlessly, and they secured the second seed overall in the NFC with a 13-4 record and won the NFC West.
They have also caught the notice of other NFL observers. Despite playing just seven games overall this season, with the last five as a starter, Purdy began to be discussed as an MVP candidate. At one point, due to the nature of his story, he was considered one of the favorites. However, his odds have dropped recently, with him being the fourth favorite to win the prize now. He is behind Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts.
Should Brock Purdy be ahead of Joe Burrow?
In all likelihood, Patrick Mahomes will win this year's MVP award after having a career season in which he has surpassed 5000 yards and 40 touchdowns. But as good as Brock Purdy has been, does he deserve to be considered ahead of Joe Burrow?
Joe Burrow helped the Cincinnati Bengals reach the playoffs again this year after taking them to the Super Bowl last season. They finished with a 12-4 record. Burrow has nearly 4,500 yards and 35 touchdowns. Ignoring his season-opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he just had 8 interceptions this season. There is a case to be made for him to be higher in MVP consideration.
But whether he wins or not, Joe Burrow will be looking to go one better than last season and lift the Lombardi Trophy. He might even have to defeat Brock Purdy to win it.
