Brock Purdy, the 49ers and the Faithful have heard the narratives time and time again. And on Sunday at SoFi Stadium, the third-year quarterback dispelled some of the criticism.
San Francisco lost to the Los Angeles Rams in heartbreaking fashion, a game in which Purdy was without most of his usual offensive supporting cast. However, you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at his stat line.
Purdy completed 22 of 30 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns with one fumble in addition to 10 rushing attempts for 41 yards on the ground, all without wide receiver Deebo Samuel, tight end George Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey.
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Former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman believes Purdy made a statement with his gutsy performance, despite the loss.
"Offensively, I'm not mad at what Brock Purdy did," Sherman said on the latest episode of "The Richard Sherman Podcast." "I thought this was a statement game for Brock Purdy because they say: 'He can't do it without his weapons,' 'What is he going to do when [George] Kittle is out?' 'What is he going to do when Deebo [Samuel] is out?' 'What is he going to do if Christian McCaffrey ...' Well, all three of them out. He threw for almost 300 [yards], three touchdowns and no interceptions. He ran the ball 41 yards. He's a good quarterback, he's an elite quarterback. I say he's one of the top-five quarterbacks in the [NFL].
"And if you give him the same criticism, then please give it to Joe Burrow, please give it to every quarterback that you think is elite that has not played that way, because he's playing that way and you don't want to give him credit."
Sherman is adamant that Purdy's doubters continue to overlook the 24-year-old due to his selection as the No. 262 and final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.
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"I'm trying to get people to understand, you got guys playing some really good football right now that will never get credit because of what you think of them or the past ... If you talk about this [top QB list] list and you don't mention Brock Purdy, then you're a hater," Sherman added. "You're just a guy who doesn't like low-round picks overachieving and playing above what you expect them to do and you want to go with the way things are projected."
Purdy, his teammates and his coaches could not care less about the outside noise surrounding the young quarterback's place among his NFL counterparts.
And on Sunday, Purdy was the least of the 49ers' concerns.