For Brock Purdy, Monday night brought another victory and a place in the NFL record books. The San Francisco 49ers QB went 21-of-29 for 264 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions in a 23-17 win over the Washington Commanders at Levi’s Stadium.
Along the way, he became the highest-rated passer in NFL history. The NFL’s post crowning Purdy made the rounds, and reaction to his historic night ran from MVP talk to, somehow, a question about Josh Allen.
Brock Purdy Takes Career Passer Rating Crown
Notably, career passer rating rankings count only quarterbacks with at least 1,500 attempts. Purdy entered the week five attempts shy of that mark. He wasted little time getting the 49ers going, hitting Mike Evans for 24 yards on the third play of the game and capping the opening drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to George Kittle.
Christian McCaffrey also scored on two 1-yard runs as the 49ers took a 20-3 lead into the break. Even though Jayden Daniels threw two second-half touchdown passes to pull the Commanders (1-4-1) within 23-17, it was not enough.
Entering the game, Purdy’s passer rating came in at 105.4, while Lamar Jackson’s mark reads 102.7, and Aaron Rodgers is at 101.8. The Niners star finished the night with a 111.9 rating, and the NFL’s social media post had his career mark at 105.6 by the end of it.
Former Green Bay Packers QB Kurt Benkert pointed to the work behind the milestone: “I was Brock’s immediate backup for 3 months during his rookie season and ran routes for him after practice every day while he went through the plays he didn’t get reps of. His preparation was second to none well before he became who he is now.”
One fan seized on Purdy’s draft-day detail: “Love this, and to think he was Mr. Irrelevant!”
Another fan took the long view: “Watching one of the all-time greats in the making. Even if you hate the 49ers, enjoy it. Appreciate this kid’s journey.”
A third fan went straight to the most-important conversation: “MVP.”
However, not every reaction was a celebration. This fan had one question: “Where’s Josh Allen?”
Earlier, 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak, speaking after practice Friday, Oct. 16, three days before the milestone, had a different take on passer rating: “I don’t look at it. It’s a reflection of your unit and how you guys are playing together. So that’s not to take away from Brock. Brock’s been awesome for five years, but I would think he’d say the same thing.”
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Purdy also addressed it similarly: “I’m not getting done with games going, ‘Alright, was my rating at least 100 and something?’ I could really care less about that. I guess that maybe reflects, though, playing pretty good quarterback play, so I’m not trying to act like it’s nothing.”
Through Week 6, Purdy has completed 119 of 171 passes for 1,460 yards with two interceptions this season. His 14 touchdown passes are tied for first in the NFL, and his 69.6% completion rate is fourth of 33 qualified quarterbacks.
Pro Football Network’s NFL QB Impact Grade has him at 90.8 for the season through Week 6, the top-ranked quarterback of 34 graded.
Monday’s win moved the 49ers to 6-0 and first in the NFC West, their best start since they won their first eight games in 2019 on the way to a Super Bowl appearance. They visit the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7 on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.