Has 49ers QB Brock Purdy established himself as Elite?

Brock Purdy is a great story, but is he really a great quarterback?

He was great in the 49ers’ 36-24 win over the Seahawks on Thursday night. But the Seahawks defense is not good. In addition, three starters were missing: Riq Woolen, Byron Murphy and Uchenna Nwosu. Plus, it was recently torn to shreds by Jared Goff and Daniel Jones. So we expected Purdy to play well in Seattle. He has never lost to that team.

But does beating the Seahawks mean Purdy is among the elite?

Just last week, Purdy led the 49ers offense to just 16 points against the Arizona Cardinals, who had given up 42 points to the Commanders the week before. The Cardinals defense is terrible, and yet they intercepted Purdy twice and beat him.

I think it’s too early to call Purdy an elite quarterback. We haven’t seen him play enough football yet. There are still too many things about him that need answers.

For example, look at these statistics. In three seasons, Purdy is 17-4 against NFC teams with a quarterback rating of 121.2. And he’s 21-5 if you include the playoffs. That’s incredible.

But against the AFC, Purdy is 6-4 with a quarterback rating of 86.3. And he’s 6-5 if you count the Super Bowl. That’s disturbing.

It seems certain teams have Purdy’s number and very few play in the NFC. Minnesota may be the only one.

It is admirable what Purdy has done this season without Christian McCaffrey on the field. But I want to see him beat a team better than the Seahawks before I call him elite.

Download and follow the best 49ers podcast.