Hypothetical MVP

(Stats accurate as of 12/22)

Game manager. System QB. Terms like these have been used far more often than in any other season. The reason? A player who wasn’t supposed to be good is currently the best quarterback in the NFL, and people are scrambling to find excuses. Notably, the NFL’s version of Isaiah Thomas, Cam Newton, claimed that the current MVP candidate, Brock Purdy, is a game manager. So let's take a deeper look to see if his claim is correct. A system quarterback is defined as a quarterback who, despite pedestrian individual statistics such as passing yards and touchdowns, also maintains low numbers of mistakes, such as interceptions and fumbles. In terms of passing yards and touchdowns, Brock Purdy is 2nd and 1st in the NFL, which does not exactly shout pedestrian to those with a keen eye. And these numbers are not simply because he is at such a high volume; Purdy sits in 21st for passing attempts. His exceptionally high numbers are a result of his efficiency, with his 2nd in the league completion percentage and a league-leading 7.4% of his passing attempts resulting in touchdowns. Other notable stats that Purdy leads the league in are Passing Success percentage, Y/A, and QBR.

(Brad Rempel- USA Today Sports)

Despite this, some analysts are holding him to standards never seen before simply because he is on a very good team, which they feel negates all of this. While the oddsmakers have noticed that Purdy is deserving of the award, it is baffling to see a new sports talk show or podcast discrediting Purdy’s greatness this season at least once a week. In almost every season, wins are counted as a QB stat by these same analysts, stating that the team winning is because of the most important position on the field. While this is not entirely true, this still remains the first year where this has notably not been brought up, as the Niners have the best record in the league. Purdy is leading the best team in the league while putting up incredible numbers, showing that as long as the last few weeks go as expected, voters should not even have to look at their ballots as Brock will be the obvious choice.

(Stats via: Pro Football Reference)