A look at how his supporting cast helped him
Before you get upset by the title, please give me a second. By the end of this piece, this topic should be viewed as a positive for Brock Purdy. Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus released an article highlighting which quarterbacks got the most help in 2023. The categories are pass protection, receiving corps, scheme, and more.
Purdy’s detractors point out Kyle Shanahan’s scheme and the 49ers’ offensive weapons as the driving force of Purdy’s success. While the 49ers will be number one in a few categories, they are completely left out of the top five and even at times top 10-15.
Let’s start with pass protection. The top five teams are Philadelphia (77.0), Baltimore (74.5), Minnesota (74.4), Atlanta (74.2), and Denver (72.7). The rankings are based on PFF’s pass-blocking grades. San Francisco’s offensive line finished with a 55.0 pass-blocking grade. Even with Trent Williams at left tackle, the grade is below average. Pass protection wasn’t an advantage for Purdy.
As a receiving corps (including Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle), the 49ers are far and away the highest graded at 91.0. Miami comes in second at 85.7 with Detroit in third at 85.1. Houston and Dallas round out the top five.
Here’s what McGuinness said about the 49ers weapons:
The 49ers totaled four players who saw 100 or more targets in the regular season and playoffs. All four earned an 85.0-plus PFF receiving grade.
A popular narrative about the 49ers and Shanahan’s scheme is that receivers seem to be running wide open often. The category is labeled passing snaps with three or more open receivers, and the 49ers are not in the top five. Kansas City (228), Baltimore (195), Arizona (186), Buffalo (185), and Houston (178) round out the top five. TruMedia credits the 49ers with three or more receivers open 17.1% of the time.
Screen passes/EPA sees the 49ers in first by a sizeable margin without the 49ers near the top in the amount of screens. Kansas City called 32 more screens than anyone in the NFL, including 135 in the playoffs alone. Behind the 49ers (0.357) are Dallas (0.107), Green Bay (0.106), Atlanta (0.100), and Tampa Bay (0.084).
McGuinness wrote about the 49ers screen game, saying:
With an EPA per play average more than three times higher than the next-best team, the 49ers screen game was in a class all by itself. Including playoffs, they picked up 517 receiving yards and five passing touchdowns on screens.
The 49ers also topped the NFL in EPA per run-pass option (RPO) and play-action passes.
McGuinness praised the RPO and play action game and said:
The 49ers generated a positive EPA on a whopping 88.2% of their RPO passes in 2023 including the playoffs. Their quarterbacks went 15-for-16 for 171 yards with a touchdown and an interception from 17 dropbacks.
The 49ers, once again led the way here, far outpacing any other team in the league. Their quarterbacks went 104-for-140 for 1,348 yards with 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions including the playoffs last year.
It’s fairly simple. The 49ers have weapons everywhere, and Shanahan’s scheme is designed to help quarterbacks succeed. However, Shanahan’s offense has never been scarier or more efficient under Purdy despite not excelling in pass protection.