San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has become the unlikeliest of heroes as he outplayed Tom Brady in the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - and his father was seen watching on in tears of disbelief.
Purdy completed 14-of-18 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover as he fired the 49ers to a commanding 28-0 lead over Brady’s Buccaneers. The seven-time Super Bowl champion has struggled to get going despite coming into the game which perhaps featured the biggest disparity in legacy in NFL history.
Known as the GOAT, Brady has won more Super Bowl titles than any franchise - let alone among players - and holds a number of NFL records, including most career passing yards and touchdowns. Purdy, meanwhile, is the reigning ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ after he was selected with the 262nd and final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The rookie’s path has been remarkable, transitioning from third-string quarterback to starter as the replacement when sophomore Trey Lance and veteran Jimmy Garoppolo went down with injuries. He impressed when he came in for Garoppolo after he suffered a broken foot against the Miami Dolphins last week, and Purdy’s impressive performance against Brady is the culmination of a scarcely believable meteoric rise.
Brady has been visibly frustrated throughout the contest, but very different emotions were felt by Purdy and his loved ones. His father, Shawn, could not contain his emotions and was captured crying by FOX Sports as he watched his son dominate the GOAT in his first career start.
Twitter was quick to react to Purdy’s brilliance, with Evan Bealieu (@EBeaulieu56) writing: ‘Guess we have entered the Brock Purdy era.’ Another user, Arturo Calva (@Artuhdzcalva), added: “Brock Purdy > Brady.”
Meanwhile, Brady has completed 50 percent of his passes for just 78 yards as he was shut out at half time. His performance is particularly surprising given he is is 6-0 versus quarterbacks in their first NFL start, while the age difference of 22 years and 146 days is the largest between opposing QBs in any game since the stat was first tracked in 1950.
His second half didn't get much better as he threw an interception to Tashaun Gipson before Christian McCaffrey ran in a touchdown to make it 35-0. Brady then tossed another interception to Dre Greenlaw.
Purdy’s story is also similar to that of Brady in terms of how he entered the league. An overlooked talent, Brady fell to the sixth round and the 199th overall pick before he was selected by the New England Patriots in the 2000 NFL Draft.
The 49ers would feel like they won the lottery if Purdy remains comparable to Brady going forwards.
