Picking apart some stats from Purdy in 2023
We’ve all heard the criticsms of Brock Purdy’s phenomenal season in 2023. Shanahan’s system is for any quarterback, Purdy isn’t asked to do much, and the 49ers offense is loaded with weapons. The famous “dink and dunk” argument stands out the most.
Funny enough, PFF released an article ranking each quarterback in target depth, and Purdy wasn’t in the top ten of the short passing ranks. Purdy wasn’t in the top 15 either. So, where does Purdy rank in targeted depth from 2023?
Short Passing (Under 10 Yards, Min. 200 Attempts)
- Josh Allen, 84.1 passing grade, 2,274 yards
- Justin Herbert, 83.8, 1,779
- Trevor Lawrence, 82.1, 2,148
- Kirk Cousins, 82.1, 1,171
- Patrick Mahomes, 81.1, 2,447
- Jordan Love, 80.9, 2,077
- Jared Goff, 79.3, 2,385
- Dak Prescott, 78.8, 2,275
- Joe Burrow, 78.6, 1,409
- Baker Mayfield, 77.0, 2,114
It’s interesting to see Allen and Herbert top this list since they have “rocket” arms, but Mahomes was the most successful of the top ten, with by far the most passing yards in the short area. Purdy comes in at number 18 on this list with a passing grade of 73.0. You might want to shelve the “dink and dunk” narrative for Purdy.
As far as intermediate throws are concerned, Purdy didn’t rank in the top ten either. That list is headed up by Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Mahomes, Tua Tagovailoa, Cousins, Herbert, Allen, Goff, Prescott, and Russell Wilson. The qualifier for the intermediate category is throws 10-19 yards downfield.
The shocker for the “dink and dunk” crowd is Purdy leads all quarterbacks in deep passing (20 yards or more). Purdy finished with a near-perfect 99.9 passing grade, followed by C.J. Stroud, Matthew Stafford, Justin Fields, Lawrence, Tagovailoa, Prescott, Geno Smith, Goff, and Wilson. Mahomes finished as the second lowest-graded passer on deep targets right in front of Mayfield, for what it’s worth.
Here is what PFF said about Purdy’s deep ball accuracy:
A popular narrative among Brock Purdy’s detractors is that he gets by on dink-and-dunk passes while letting his skilled teammates do all the work. However, Purdy ranked just 18th in short passing grade (73.0). On the other hand, his deep ball was nearly perfect, resulting in a seemingly impossible 99.9 mark. On balls targeted 20 or more yards downfield, Purdy completed 30-of-53 passes for 956 yards, 11 touchdowns, and only one interception while having a big-time throw-to-turnover-worthy play ratio of 17-to-2.
There will always be a need for some to explain or downplay Purdy’s season and success based on his physical skillset and draft selection, but in the offense, he is asked to operate, it is clear Purdy is as efficient as it gets for Kyle Shanahan.
Rough day for the “dink and dunk” crowd.
About the Author: Insidethe49
