No quarterback in the NFL is playing better football right now than San Francisco 49ers Pro Bowler Brock Purdy.
Purdy this season and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino in his groundbreaking 1984 NFL MVP year are the only quarterbacks with 10-plus total touchdowns and no sacks taken through the first three weeks of a season. As a result, Purdy leads the NFL in passer rating (133.1), passing success rate (63.9%) and expected points added (EPA) per dropback (0.62) while co-leading the league in passing touchdowns (9). He’s also been accurate, ranking third in the NFL in completion percentage (72.3%).
Purdy has maintained that production despite losing key members of his 49ers supporting cast to injuries week after week, which makes the fact that he is the only qualified quarterback this season who hasn’t been sacked yet absolutely incredible. Can he hold that up against the Denver Broncos in Week 4?
The 49ers vs. Broncos Sunday afternoon showdown on CBS at 4:25 p.m. EST pits the team that has allowed the fewest sacks across the last two seasons (San Francisco, 27) against the team that has racked up the most sacks the last two seasons (Denver, 76).
Will Purdy be able to hold up against the Broncos’ pass rush?
Denver’s pass rush, led by two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Nik Bonitto and 2025 first-team All-Pro defensive tackle Zach Allen, once again ranks inside the top 10 of most pass rush metrics. Entering Week 4, they’re tied for seventh in sacks (8.0) and seventh in quarterback pressure rate (40.7%) while blitzing at the seventh-highest rate in the league (40.7%).
So, how ready is Purdy for when Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph turns up the heat? He’ll be pretty prepared. Purdy leads the NFL with a 14.7 yards per pass attempt average versus the blitz in 2026, which ranks as the third-highest mark in a season since 2018, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Blitzes also haven’t been effective at getting to Purdy, creating pressure at just a 22.7% rate, the lowest in the league per Next Gen Stats. Naturally, that’s why he gets blitzed at the fourth-lowest rate in the NFL, 23.6%, per TruMedia.
When Denver does blitz, they’ve only been just above league average at affecting the quarterback, generating the 13th-best quarterback pressure rate (44%) when sending extra pass rushers, per Next Gen Stats. Where will Purdy go with the football, if/when the Broncos turn up the heat? Well, he had two clear safety values across the 19 times he’s been blitzed this season: six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans and seven-time Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle. Both of them have reeled in four of their five targets when Purdy has been blitzed with two touchdowns each.
Evans’ status for Week 4 is up in the air as he didn’t practice on either Wednesday or Thursday with a rib injury. So there’s a chance Purdy is without him, which will lead to all eyes on Kittle. That could lead to ex-49er and current Bronco All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga zeroing in on Kittle when play becomes frenetic, as he is fresh off clinching the Broncos’ Week 3 showdown against the Los Angeles Rams on “Sunday Night Football” all by himself. His 66-yard pick-six gave Denver a 23-19 lead with 4:49 left to play, and then he intercepted Matthew Stafford again on the game’s final play as the Rams were looking to score a game-winning touchdown in the red zone.
The chess match between San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan and Joseph is certainly set to be one of Week 4’s most popcorn-ready showdowns.