San Francisco rolled to a 41-23 win in the wild-card round over the Seahawks with a dominant offensive performance from top to bottom. While it was a total team effort — the Niners’ 505 yards are the most they’ve had in a game since 2019 — Purdy looked the part in the effort.
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While Purdy was shaky at the start, he looked impressive overall. He finished with 18-of-30 passing for 332 yards, four total touchdowns and no turnovers.
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With three passing touchdowns and a rushing score, Purdy set a record for touchdowns for a rookie in an NFL playoff game, which is impressive by itself. His 131.5 passer rating is second to Mark Sanchez (Jets, 2010, 139.4) in NFL history among rookies making their playoff debuts.
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He also joins an exclusive club of rookie quarterbacks to win a playoff game. His 332 passing yards are the most by a rookie QB in his playoff debut and the second-most by a rookie in the playoffs overall, behind Russell Wilson’s 385 for Seattle vs. Atlanta in the 2012 season. They’re the third-most overall in 49ers playoff history, behind two Joe Montana performances (357 and 347 yards).
And just like that, Mr. Irrelevant is anything but.
Rookie quarterbacks to win an NFL playoff game
Twenty-four rookie passers have started an NFL playoff game, including Purdy. They’re 10-14 in their postseason debuts.
The full list, with winning quarterbacks in bold:
In all, rookies have started 35 NFL playoff games, with a 12-23 record.
