Brock Purdy is having a fascinating season.

As the NFL’s scouting report on Purdy has become more sophisticated, his passing stats have declined and his rushing numbers have improved.

Last season, he led the league with a quarterback rating of 113. This season, his rating of 93.7 ranks 16th. He is having a difficult time passing against man-to-man coverage because he is missing Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk, who was not playing well before injuring his knee.

As Purdy looks for ways to beat him, he fights harder and harder. And this strategy is paying off.

In 16 games last season, Purdy rushed just 39 times for 144 yards (3.7 yards per attempt), 15 first downs and 2 touchdowns. This season, in just eight games, Purdy has already rushed 42 times for 210 yards (5.0 yards per attempt), 22 first downs and 3 touchdowns. He is 17 yards away from passing Isaac Guerendo as the team’s second-leading rusher behind Jordan Mason.

When the 49ers offense is out of rhythm, their best play is usually a Purdy scramble. Teams simply don’t consider him as a running back. Or if they find you with a spy, which is rare, the spy isn’t quick or fast enough to keep up. Purdy is too elusive.

Purdy needs to keep fighting when the lines are presented because the offense isn’t as effective when it stands in the pocket like a robot trying to execute plays exactly how Kyle Shanahan designed them.

The 49ers need Purdy to be a playmaker.