Brock Purdy's record as a starter: 49ers quarterback is chasing history with perfect regular-season record

Kyle Irving

Brock Purdy's record as a starter: 49ers quarterback is chasing history with perfect regular-season record image

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has made one thing clear: He is a winner.

Purdy's ascension from Mr. Irrelevant to a captain and reliable starter for one of the best teams in the NFL is as improbable as they come. Selected with the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdy was expected to be the third-string QB behind Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo for a San Francisco team with Super Bowl aspirations.

When Lance went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season, Purdy was elevated to QB2 behind Garoppolo. When Garoppolo suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 13, the 49ers had no choice but to insert their rookie QB who had just 11 total NFL snaps under his belt.

Since that moment, all Purdy has done is exceed expectations and win football games.

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So what is the 23-year-old's record as a starter for the 49ers?

Brock Purdy's record as a starting quarterback

Believe it or not, Purdy is a perfect 10-0 for his career as a starting quarterback in the regular season.

2022 season: 5-0 record

Purdy wasn't credited with a QB win when he stepped in for an injured Garoppolo against Miami, but the 49ers were trailing 7-3 when he took his first snap. He went on to throw for 210 yards and two touchdowns to lead San Francisco to a comeback, 33-17 victory, so there's a case to be made that he deserves to be 10-0.

Purdy led the 49ers to five consecutive wins to close the 2022 season, helping San Francisco establish the second-best record in the NFC. He threw for 1,308 yards, 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions in the span, proving the Niners were still a championship contender with him under center.

He combined for 546 yards, three passing touchdowns and zero interceptions in his first two playoff victories, bringing San Francisco to the NFC Championship Game. After Purdy suffered a torn UCL on the first drive of the game, the Eagles brought an end to his perfect record as an NFL quarterback.

2023 season: 5-0 record

Purdy made a full recovery this offseason, and the 49ers made it clear he was their guy moving forward. They let Garoppolo walk to the Raiders in free agency and traded Lance to the Cowboys before the start of the season.

Purdy picked up right where he left off, leading San Francisco to a 5-0 record to start the season. He has the 49ers looking like Super Bowl contenders again, standing as one of two remaining undefeated teams along with Philadelphia.

Yes, the 49ers have one of the best defenses in the NFL. Yes, their offense is loaded with weapons from Christian McCaffery and Deebo Samuel to George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk. But Purdy has proved he's much more than just a game manager — he's a legitimate playmaker who rarely makes mistakes.

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Through five games, Purdy has thrown for 1,271 yards with a 72.1 percent completion rate. He's averaging over 100 more passing yards per game, posting 254.2 this season compared to 152.7 last season.

He has nine passing touchdowns and zero interceptions. He is one of two quarterbacks in the league (joining Texans rookie CJ Stroud) to have 1,000 passing yards and no picks. His 10.7 yards per attempt and 83.7 QBR lead the entire NFL.

Purdy dominated in Week 5 against a Cowboys defense that entered the game allowing an NFL-best 10.3 points per game, throwing four touchdown passes in a 42-10 San Francisco rout.

Brock Purdy winning streak

As The Sporting News' Edward Sutelan detailed a few weeks back, Purdy's name is already etched in the history books with 10 straight wins to start his career.

He is now in a three-way tie with the Chiefs' Mike Livingston and Bears' Mike Tomczak for the second-longest regular-season winning streak to start a career in NFL history.

From there, the only QB standing in his way is Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger, who began his Hall of Fame-worthy career with 15 consecutive regular season wins over his first two seasons as a starter.

You can find the list of the longest QB regular season win streaks to begin a career below.

Player Team Years Streak
Ben Roethlisberger Steelers 2004-05 15
Mike Tomczak Bears 1986-87 10
Mike Livingston Chiefs 1969-72 10
Brock Purdy 49ers 2022-23 10*
Jimmy Garoppolo Patriots/49ers 2016-18 7
Daunte Culpepper Vikings 2000 7
Dieter Brock Rams 1985 7
Daryle Lamonica Bills/Raiders 1963-67 7

*Active streak.

Purdy needs six more wins to break Roethlisberger's NFL record, and San Francisco's upcoming schedule is relatively friendly. The 49ers' next six games are at Cleveland, at Minnesota, vs. Cincinnati, at Jacksonville, vs. Tampa Bay and at Seattle.

Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.