Brock Purdy Joins Joe Montana in 49ers History With Perfect Rating vs. Bucs

Brock Purdy stood at the postgame podium with a blank expression and spoke in a calm voice just moments after accomplishing a feat no San Francisco 49ers quarterback had managed in decades.

The second-year pro completed 21 of his 25 passes for 333 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The seemingly mistake-free performance resulted in a perfect 158.3 passer rating. The last 49ers QB to do that? Hall of Famer Joe Montana in 1989. Though Purdy kept it cool after joining "Joe Cool's" company.

"What an honor," Purdy said of the achievement postgame. "At the same time, there's some plays and stuff that I wish I had back. So I'm not completely content with just that. But I thought it was a great game. The guys around me, the coaching, the play-calling—all of it. So that's a testament to the team, really."

Montana tallied a perfect rating in Week 10 of the 1989 season and attempted 19 passes during that game. That makes Purdy the first 49ers QB with a perfect passer rating in a game with 20-plus passing attempts in team history.

Purdy may have downplayed his performance, but his teammates certainly didn't.

Running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle, both All-Pros who scored a touchdown in San Francisco's seventh win of the season, used Sunday's performance to push back at the notion that Purdy is only successful because of the scheme he's in and players around him. And they pushed back hard. McCaffrey called that line of thinking "horrendous" and said the 49ers offense starts with him. But at the same time, he hopes the bad takes keep on coming.

"There's always going to be critics," McCaffrey told reporters postgame. "He knows that. Everyone [here] knows that. I like when he plays a little bit edgy with a chip on his shoulder. I kinda hope the critics just keep coming because it p***** him off and he plays really well."

Added a sarcastic Kittle at his press conference: "System quarterback, right? It's crazy. Just a guy who's taking advantage of his opportunity. Brock's fantastic the way he shows up every single day."

McCaffrey opened the scoring by reaching the end zone on a four-yard pass from Purdy late in the first quarter. And Purdy connected with Kittle for a 3-yard touchdown with less than two minutes to go in quarter No.3 to make it a 20-point game.

The 49ers made the Iowa State product "Mr. Irrelevant" by selecting him with the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. But that title wouldn't stay fitting for long. Purdy went 5-0 as a starter last regular season, then won two playoff games, after injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. Though an elbow injury of his own suffered during last season's NFC Championship Game kept Purdy and the 49ers from making a Super Bowl push.

But San Francisco is in contention for the big game again this time around.

The 49ers are the No.3 seed in the NFC after Sunday's Week 11 slate. After a 5-0 start to the 2023 season, Purdy and company lost three in a row heading into their bye week. The winning ways have since returned to San Fran, now winners of two in a row. And Purdy's play is a big reason why.

The 23-year-old threw three touchdowns compared to five interceptions (his only picks of the season) during the team's three-game losing stretch. But Purdy has responded by completing 78.4 percent of his passes for 629 yards with six scores and no picks combined in back-to-back wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars and Bucs.

"Brock's been great because he's been consistent through it all," 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said postgame. "I never felt any difference with Brock during those three losses. I think he's pretty realistic, so he doesn't get into stuff that's not accurate."