NFL gameday: Brock Purdy 'in prime' for San Francisco 49ers, Patrick Mahomes chases Tom Brady record and Dexter Lawrence leads Cincinnati Bengals Super Bowl charge

There isn’t a more unusual or more fluctuating expectation spectrum than that of Brock Purdy, who has seen to the San Francisco 49ers flying out of the blocks through two weeks of the NFL season.

He entered the league devoid of pressure or projections as Mr Irrelevant. Not long after he was tasked with leading perennial Super Bowl contention for the 49ers. Football onlookers have since been fiercely divided on where he stands among the NFL’s premier quarterbacks. Was it the Kyle Shanahan system and the star-studded cast? Or is he just good? It is allowed to be both.

It comes with the asterisk of premature two-week conclusions territory, but Purdy is playing as well as any quarterback in football right now.

He enters week three with the highest completion percentage in the league at 80.4 having completed 45 of 56 passes for 492 yards and five touchdowns at 8.8 yards per attempt.

“We’re starting to witness Brock’s prime, and I think it’s going to be a sight to behold,” said 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams.

“I’ve always loved Brock, but I think he’s starting to get his respect now. He doesn’t even relish in it. It’s all about next week, going 1-0, and that’s why he’s a great leader.”

Purdy doesn’t earn acclaim for being one of the league’s most athletic or dynamic out-of-structure two-way killers, but instead thrives on high-level processing, field diagnosis, anticipation and accuracy. It should also be said he is a far better scrambler than he gets credit for.

The best of what Purdy represents came in Sunday’s 35-13 win over the Miami Dolphins on a precision-perfect strike to Mike Evans, the 49ers quarterback moving one defender with a pump-fake before sliding left and threading a stunning off-platform bullet to his new wide receiver. Evans had run what began as a crossing route before momentarily adjusting into a corner break, Purdy picking him out with expert touch and timing to execute on a flood concept.

Twice Purdy has threatened one of the great underdog stories in NFL history. He famously guided the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game as a rookie after being selected with the 262nd and final pick of the Draft, only to suffer an elbow injury in the first quarter as Josh Johnson replaced him in a 31-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He went one better the next season by taking San Francisco to Super Bowl LVIII, where they were beaten in overtime by the Kansas City Chiefs.

The system quarterback label has overshadowed him at times, while others have underlined his success in a scheme others have been unable to execute at such a high level. His 49ers have meanwhile been as unlucky with marquee injuries as any team in the league, as much hampering Shanahan’s offense in recent years as they seek to work their way back to Super Bowl territory.

He now has a healthy Christian McCaffrey, a healthy George Kittle and, perhaps for the first time in his career, a proven elite veteran receiver in Mike Evans.

“I got really lucky,” said Kittle on The Rich Eisen Show. “I get to play with Trent Williams right? We got him. Hall of Famer, plays like a Hall of Famer still. Mike Evans, Hall of Famer, plays like a Hall of Famer still.

“And so just when you add guys like that, it’s just so much fun because every time we call a play and I know Mike has a chance of getting the ball, I’m like, ‘this is so sick’. Brock Purdy’s throwing the ball to Mike Evans and I’m blocking for him.

“What a dream come true.”

Purdy’s 49ers look to go 3-0 this weekend when they take on the Arizona Cardinals, lead by one of Shanahan’s disciples in first-year head coach Mike LaFleur.

Latest news

Giants QB Jaxson Dart is set to miss the remainder of the regular season after suffering a knee injury that requires surgery in Monday’s loss to the Rams
Seahawks QB Sam Darnold was a full participant in Thursday’s practice and could return to action from his glute injury against the Commanders on Sunday
Bears QB Caleb Williams did not practice on Thursday and is a doubt to face the Eagles on Monday night after suffering a hamstring injury against the Vikings in Week Two
The Colts placed wide receiver Alec Pierce on injured reserve with a heel issue

Live on Sky this Sunday:

Los Angeles Chargers @ Buffalo Bills – 6pm – LIVE from 5.30pm exclusively on Sky Sports NFL: The question marks entering this season for the Buffalo Bills had largely centred around a much-changed defense behind Jim Leonhard and in the wake of marquee veteran departures. Granted, they are averaging among the highest points and yards allowed through two weeks, but Greg Rousseau has been a standout figure with a league-high four sacks, a league-high three forced fumbles and league-leading pass rush win-rate as the face of Buffalo’s front. He takes on a Chargers offensive line enduring a miserable start to the season.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers – 6pm – LIVE from 5.30pm on Sky Sports Football: The Cincinnati Bengals traded the 10th overall pick for Dexter Lawrence this offseason, before paying the defensive tackle with a one-year $28m contract extension, the hope being they had acquired a game-changing piece to a defense in desperate need of elite reinforcements. The early signs have been positive in wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans, through which Lawrence is PFF’s highest-graded interior defensive lineman. He has single-handedly elevated Cincinnati’s front as a multi-gap nightmare for offensive lineman.

Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers – 9.05pm – LIVE on Sky Sports Football: Upton Stout is beginning to make a name for himself in a 49ers jersey. The second-year corner out of Western Kentucky was showered with praise by Raheem Morris as San Francisco’s ‘player of the game on defense’ against Miami, the 49ers defensive coordinator turning to the 24-year-old as an explosive blitz weapon capable of reading plays quickly, making stops laterally and adding another downhill threat to his defense.

Baltimore Ravens vs Dallas Cowboys in Brazil – 9.25pm – LIVE from 9.15pm on Sky Sports NFL & Sky Sports Main Event: The NFL heads to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil for the first time after playing games in Sao Paulo in each of the last two seasons. The iconic Maracana Stadium plays stage to two blockbuster offenses, the main question surrounding whether either defense can hold up against their counterpart. The Cowboys are currently averaging a third-most 117 yards on the ground and 4.5 yards per carry as they prepare to take on a two-headed ground monster in Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, to the latter of whom Jesse Minter could return his focus after bizarrely drifting from the star running back in the second half of last weekend’s defeat to the New Orleans Saints.

Las Vegas Raiders @ New Orleans Saints – 9.25pm – LIVE on Sky Sports+: Most fun game of the week? It might just be. And few had that on their pre-season cards. The New Orleans Saints are coming off an impressive fourth-quarter comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens, spearheaded by the league leader in passing yards Tyler Shough, whose connection to Chris Olave is paving the way to his emergence as one of the NFL’s premier wide receivers. As for the Raiders, they are coming off a Kirk Cousins-inspired win over the Los Angeles Chargers and could be about to welcome back their star weapon in tight end Brock Bowers.

Los Angeles Rams @ Denver Broncos – 1.20am, Monday morning – LIVE from 1.10am on Sky Sports NFL & Sky Sports Main Event: Jaylen Waddle officially arrived at the proverbial Broncos party on Sunday as he played an integral role in opening up Denver’s offense downfield on the way to 138 receiving yards and a comeback win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He grants Bo Nix and Sean Payton a fresh dimension at multiple levels having arrived via a trade from the Dolphins earlier this year. The Rams are meanwhile uncertain over the availability of Puka Nacua after he missed practice due to a hip injury this week. Nacua missed the Week Two win over the Giants, during which Davante Adams starred with eight catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns.

What did they say?

Giants QB Jameis Winston: “This is what I’ve always dreamed of, to be a starting quarterback. Obviously, my respects and gratitude is just going to be with Jaxson, but at the same time, this is what I dream of. I dream of being what I am right now and executing at a high level.”

Chargers QB Justin Herbert: “I think our team is so close, and so I don’t think there’s a lack of vocal leadership at all. We’ve got great leadership on this team. I trust those guys in that locker room, and so I don’t think anyone is panicked or worried, because that’s not going to do us any good.”

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: “In this league, it’s week to week. One week they’re patting you on your back, and one week they’re telling you you’re terrible. I think all offseason we heard about how bad we were, and guys were super hungry and came in with that mentality, and I think that’s why we’ve had the success that we’ve had these first two weeks. And it’s like, how can you keep that hunger? Now everybody’s saying we’re amazing and that we’re great, and it’s like we’ve got to keep the hunger that we’ve had this entire offseason.”

Rams head coach Sean McVay: “Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn and sometimes you have a dumbass coach that makes travel plans that puts you in bad spots.”

Key stats:

Bills QB Josh Allen is the first player in NFL history with five touchdown passes and four rushing touchdowns in his first two games of a season
With a win on Sunday at Miami Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes can tie Tom Brady (115 wins) for the most wins by a quarterback in his first 150 career starts, including the postseason, in NFL history.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford, who has 49 career games with at least 325 passing yards, can become the fifth player in NFL history with at least 325 passing yards in 50 career games
Ravens RB Derrick Henry can move into the top-five for the most rushing touchdowns by a player aged 30 or older, having scored 37 since turning 30 in January 2024
Lions WR Amon-Ra St Brown can join Calvin Johnson (first four games in 2011 with Detroit) as the only players in NFL history with multiple touchdown receptions in each of his team’s first three games of a season

Watch the 2026 NFL season live on Sky Sports, including every minute of the playoffs and Super Bowl LXI on Sunday February 14, 2027. Get Sky Sports or stream contract-free with NOW.

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