News Article
Published
Oct 11, 2026 at 10:04 PM EDT
The San Francisco 49ers continued their stretch of excellent play early on in the 2026 NFL season with a big win over their division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks. And the win seems to have boosted the stock of star quarterback Brock Purdy in a major way.
Purdy didn't have the most eye-popping individual performance on Sunday, throwing for just 189 yards. But when it mattered most, he certainly rose to the occasion, leading several scoring drives in the fourth quarter to help the 49ers come away with a 32-29 win.
With the 49ers sitting at 5-0 and Purdy maintaining a five-game streak of throwing multiple passing touchdowns in every game he has played this season, Purdy now finds himself at the very top of the MVP odds board.
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In a post on X from the ESPN Analytics account, the network announced that Purdy now finds himself as the favorite to win NFL MVP, which marks the first time all season that anyone other than Josh Allen has been a favorite for the award.
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It is of course worth noting that the Bills and Josh Allen have not played yet in Week 5. With a strong performance on Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams, it seems quite possible that Allen could reclaim this favorite status from Purdy in the MVP race.
That being said, Purdy's strong play thus far this season clearly hasn't gone unnoticed. And as long as the 49ers remain undefeated, it will certainly be difficult for anyone to put up as strong of a case for the award as Purdy.
The 49ers and Purdy will look to keep their winning ways going in Week 6 when they return home to host the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football.