Shannon Sharpe takes Brock Purdy out of “ungodly” Patrick Mahomes’ tier with haste
Brock Purdy and Patrick Mahomes were put on a similar level by many based on how hot both quarterbacks have played since the start of this season. However, speaking on First Take, NFL analyst Shannon Sharpe threw those takes out the window. Here's how he put it on Tuesday, following the 49ers collapse against the Vikings:
"[00:00:27] We're taking Christian McCaffrey away. We refuse to let him run the football. We want the ball in that 'elite' quarterback's hand, Brock Purdy. And what happened? Two Interceptions? … When everything around him couldn't be perfect and they asked Brock Purdy to deliver, he didn't. He didn't do it. He is what he is."
He continued, bringing Patrick Mahomes into the conversation:
"I look at it like this. If Brock Purdy is elite, we need another definition for Patrick Mahomes because he's ungodly. He's astronomical. He's out of the world. Brock Puirdy is what he is. [00:01:10]"
Brock Purdy suffers worst performance of career
The San Francisco 49ers were 5-0 after five weeks. They are 5-2 at the end of Week 7 and have lost to two teams that did not have winning records prior to the game. The Cleveland Browns were 2-2 and won despite using a backup quarterback. The Minnesota Vikings were 2-4 entering the game and finished 3-4.
Adding fuel to the fire, Kirk Cousins notoriously struggles in primetime games but he didn't against the San Francisco 49ers. Against the 49ers, he completed a season-high 77.8 percent of his throws for a season-high 378 yards. He also threw for two touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Purdy, meanwhile, is coming off the worst two-week stretch of his young career. Over the last two games, he has thrown for three interceptions. Against the Browns, he completed just 44.4% of his throws. The loss against the Vikings was the first game in which he had thrown for more interceptions(2) than touchdowns(1) this year.
Aside from a very brief sighting last year in Week 7 in which he threw for zero touchdowns and one interception against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Monday Night Football implosion was the first such performance of his career. Keep in mind, this is a young career that includes appearances in three playoff games.
Will the 49ers quarterback have a second set of tricks to pivot to in the coming weeks?