49ers QB Brock Purdy is NFC Offensive Player of the Week

Perfection was recognized Wednesday when 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

Purdy was 21 of 25 for 333 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 27-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the NFL system of passing efficiency that rewards a high completion percentage and a lack of turnovers, Purdy’s 158.3 rating is the highest possible score.

It was the first perfect score by a 49ers quarterback since Joe Montana did it in Week 10 of the 1989 season, and it marks the first time Purdy has won the award.

After checking in with a 148.9 rating in the previous week’s 34-3 win over Jacksonville, Purdy becomes the first quarterback since Drew Brees in 2018 to put up a 145.0 or better in consecutive weeks.

The back-to-back games came after the 49ers had lost three straight and Purdy had thrown five interceptions, which invited skeptics of the final pick of the 2021 NFL Draft to wonder if a steady decline in performance had begun.

Going into the Bucs game, Purdy felt the need to rededicate himself showing he belonged as an NFL starter. Purdy had made his NFL starting debut the previous season in a 35-7 win over Brady and the Bucs.

“With the three games we lost, it was like, ‘Dude, you’ve got to play with that chip in your shoulder again and be hungry and prove to yourself every single game that you’re supposed to be here,” Purdy said. “Looking back and watching that Bucs game, it’s like, ‘Man, I was playing like that.’ So it’s always good to go back and just sort of remind myself of that mentality.”

The 49ers visit Seattle Thursday night. The 49ers swept the Seahawks last season, winning both regular season games as well as a playoff game in the wild-card round. Purdy started two of those games, with the 49ers beating Seattle on the road 21-13 on Dec. 15 when he played with a broken rib and passed for 332 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-23 win at Levi’s Stadium in the playoffs.