49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, the 2022 Mr. Irrelevant, made history in several ways by beating Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.
Brock Purdy can say he’s done something no one else in the NFL has: He beat Tom Brady in his first career start.
The 49ers rookie quarterback, who was called into action unexpectedly this year because of injuries to both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, got his first start on Sunday against the Buccaneers. He also got his first victory as a starter with a dominant 35-7 win.
Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant, the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Last week, he became the first Mr. Irrelevant to throw a touchdown pass. This week, he added more wild stats to his record.
Brock Purdy made history beating Tom Brady
Purdy is the first quarterback to beat Brady while making his first start, breaking a six-win streak for Brady over first-time starters.
Brock Purdy becomes the first quarterback to win while making first NFL start against Tom Brady. Previous QBs were 0-6.
— Keith Murphy (@MurphyKeith) December 12, 2022
Purdy: 16-21 for 185 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT. Also ran a TD.
49ers win, 35-7.
Photo: AP pic.twitter.com/1Min3sZnvQ
He is also the most recently born quarterback to beat Brady with a birthdate of December 27, 1999.
Purdy joined Buccaneers kicker Ryan Succup as the first pair of Mr. Irrelevants to each score in an NFL game.
As a kicker, Ryan Succop is not considered a starter in the game.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 12, 2022
However, with Succop's extra point and Purdy's Rush TD today, this is the first time in the Common Draft Era (since 1967) that two Mr. Irrelevants have scored a point in the same game. https://t.co/iBB4c9eDQF
But wait! There’s more!
Purdy became the first quarterback to score two passing touchdowns and rushing TD while posting a passer rating above 125 in his first start.
Brock Purdy is the first rookie in the Super Bowl era with at least two TD passes, one rushing TD and a passer rating of 125-plus in his first career start (per NFL Communications) #49ers #49wz
— Al Sacco (@AlSacco49) December 12, 2022
His win over Brady was the largest for a QB in their starting debut against a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
The 28-point win by Brock Purdy's @49ers against Tom Brady's Bucs is the largest win over a former Super Bowl-winning starting QB in a QB's first career start.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) December 12, 2022
No QB had beaten a former Super Bowl-winning starting QB by more than 10 points in his first career start before today.
It’s not hard to see why 49ers fans are so juiced about their new quarterback.
Brock Purdy about to be the first Mr Irrelevant to win the Super Bowl as a starting QB… save this tweet
— Juice🧃 (@JuiceSimps0n) December 5, 2022
Purdy will have his next opportunity to impress in just a few days. The 49ers are facing off with the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football in a key divisional matchup. There will be no better time for the young QB to prove he’s no one-hit-wonder.