Is Brock Purdy the best quarterback in the NFL? – NBC Sports Bay Area and California

When the NFL released its schedule in May, it was the 49ers’ three-game stretch that jumped off the page.

In Seattle. In Philadelphia. Against Seattle at Levi’s Stadium.

Three crucial games in three weeks that will go a long way in determining the NFC West and, potentially, the seeds atop the conference.

The 49ers enter this part of the regular season with a 7-3 record and one game ahead of the Seahawks in the division standings.

Everything we’ll learn about the 49ers this season hasn’t been written yet, and there could be more twists and turns to come.

The 49ers suffered three losses, sandwiched between winning streaks of five and two games. Coach Kyle Shanahan actually answered questions two weeks ago in which it was suggested to him that quarterback Brock Purdy should be benched. Overreactions came from all sides.

So now let’s take the fans’ temperature after the 49ers’ Week 11 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

We took to Threads for this episode of 49ers overreactions, and here’s what we found:

The San Francisco Forty Niners have the best quarterback in the league! (@blinghelmetsbywally)

Overreaction? No.

Based on performances and stats, who has played better than Brock Purdy this season?

Just a quick note: The NFL’s passer rating system is based on completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdowns per attempt and interceptions per attempt. These are all meaningful statistics that accurately and objectively evaluate quarterback production.

Purdy had the highest score possible in the 49ers’ 27-14 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday. And he already led the NFL in that stat heading into the Week 11 slate of games.

His current rating of 115.1 would put him in the top 10 on the NFL’s all-time list for a single season, and it would rank as a 49ers record.

While we recognize that Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes is a great player and has two Super Bowl rings in his vault, it is no exaggeration to state that, as of right now, Purdy is playing the best football of all NFL quarterbacks.

The only knock anyone has ever made on Purdy since he’s been in the NFL is that he doesn’t have the strongest arm. And while that’s true — there are other quarterbacks in the league who can throw faster and farther — no other quarterback in the league has had as much success as Purdy this season on deep passes.

The 49ers front 4 is so good we can survive Hufanga’s injury (@vincedmonroy)

Overreaction? No.

The 49ers acquired Chase Young at the NFL trade deadline for a reason.

And while it wasn’t specifically to help compensate for an injury in the defensive backfield, the idea was that better passing could help the 49ers at all levels of their defense.

Losing safety Talanoa Hufanga to a torn ACL in his right knee is devastating. There is no way around this problem. But the season is progressing.

Fortunately for the team, they chose to address the position with the draft selection of Ji’Ayir Brown.

“We know we needed some depth there,” Shanahan said of the decision to select Brown in the third round. “He trained like he knew this moment was coming. He was locked up.

The 49ers secondary will be their Achilles heel and cost them a deep playoff run. (@perrin49)

Overreaction? Yes.

If the 49ers don’t achieve their goal of winning the Lombardi Trophy, they may have run into a strong passing attack and been unable to keep up.

But if that’s the case, the blame won’t — or shouldn’t — be placed entirely on the defensive backfield.

The pass rush and coverage go hand in hand. If the 49ers secondary is beat, that means the team’s pass rush isn’t getting the job done either.

There is no defensive backfield in the NFL that can hold up for long periods of time if the quarterback is not under pressure.

The fact is, the 49ers pass defense has been very good this season, so don’t lose sight of that either.

Remember the elements used to determine NFL passer rating (see above)? Opposing quarterbacks have compiled a low 70.1 rating against the 49ers with just 6.2 yards per pass attempt with 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions this season.

Trent Williams is our best player. (@controversycow)

Overreaction? No.

We’ll back off on this one and let Christian McCaffrey cross the goal line.

“He might be the best player I’ve ever seen,” McCaffrey said recently of Williams.

Yes, that is high praise.

Williams is tied with Aaron Rodgers among active NFL players with 10 Pro Bowl selections. Rodgers won’t make the Pro Bowl this season, and Williams will.

Here’s how McCaffrey described Williams: “There’s nothing he can’t do. He plays beyond the X’s and O’s and does things that a lot of others can’t do, and he’s been doing it for a very long time.

Kyle needs to win a SB. That’s the measuring stick now, anything short is a failure. (@jtf321)

Overreaction? No.

Shanahan isn’t going anywhere. He signed a contract extension that keeps him under wraps with the 49ers until at least the 2026 season.

Shanahan is generally considered one of the best coaches in the NFL, and for good reason. He is.

But for him to be considered truly exceptional, yes, the 49ers need to win a Super Bowl under his leadership.

If the 49ers don’t win this season, the organization will be disappointed. But he should also have more opportunities in the years to come.

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