Much has been said in the last month about the talents of Brock Purdy and Patrick Mahomes. The quarterbacks who will clash in Super Bowl LVIII on February 11 are opposites in their playing style, but in the final comparison, the 49ers rookie has an advantage over the Chiefs veteran.
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The greatest criticism against Purdy is that he is seemingly irrelevant to the San Francisco 49ers’ strategy. Fans and experts call him a simple “game manager” who could easily be replaced by any other QB in the league.
On the contrary, Mahomes is a key piece in head coach Andy Reid’s game plan with the Kansas City Chiefs. His biggest problem this season was the lack of talent in his receiving corps, which was maimed by the departure of Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins.
Purdy has the likes of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, and tight end George Kittle, who are among the NFL’s elite, and even running back Christian McCaffrey often fills receiver duty.
Chiefs receivers Rashee Rice, Justin Watson, and Kadarius Toney are players who do their jobs well, but they are far from the top of the NFL. Tight end Travis Kelce and running back Isaiah Pacheco are Patrick Mahomes’ workhorses, and he has been able to exploit them this season.
The coldness of numbers
In the Purdy-Mahomes comparison, the regular season numbers seem to speak for themselves. The Niners signal-caller is fifth in yards gained with 4,280, and Mahomes is sixth with 4,183.
Brock’s completion percentage is 69.4 with 308 of 444, compared to Patrick’s 67.2%, although Mahomes’ completions, 401, are almost the total of those Purdy threw, and his 597 attempts are 150 more than those of his rival in the Super Bowl.
Purdy has thrown more touchdown passes, with 31, and has been intercepted fewer times, only 11. Mahomes completed 27 in the end zone and had 14 attempts intercepted. With these numbers, Brock’s rating is 113 points, above Patrick’s 92.6 points.
Expectations for the Super Bowl
Purdy’s offense looks stronger on paper than Mahomes’. However, the latter has experience on his side: in his seven years in the NFL, he has played in seven postseasons, six AFC Championship games, and three Super Bowls, of which he has won two.
Mahomes also has the solid Chiefs defense on his side, which has carried the team on its shoulders this season and usually comes out on top when it really matters.
Although his critics leave him aside, his defenders often compare Purdy with other great game managers in history, such as Tom Brady, Trent Dilfer, Alex Smith, or Peyton Manning in his later years.
However, all previous comparisons are useless. The outcome of Super Bowl LVIII will not be defined by previous numbers but by the performance and execution of the players on the field at Allegiant Stadium on February 11.
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