‘Underrated Scrambler,’ ‘Mike Evans Is the Best Thing to Happen to Brock Purdy’ — NFL World Salutes MVP Candidate After 49ers’ 5-0 Start

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy put on a highlight reel on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks in a loud Lumen Field in Seattle. He was so good that some people are already putting him in the conversation for the NFL Most Valuable Player award.

Against a stout Seahawks defense, Purdy was 19-of-29 passing for 189 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Purdy was able to connect with wide receiver Mike Evans a lot on Sunday as Evans finished with 7 catches for 113 yards and 1 touchdown. The 49ers quarterback also led the team downfield for two clutch fourth-quarter scoring drives.

From the get-go in the 2026 NFL season, Purdy has made sure to target Evans. Evans is in his first season with San Francisco after a Super Bowl-winning career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

According to the PFN’s QB Impact Metric, Purdy has a 93.3 impact score and is ranked No. 1 among all NFL quarterbacks. He finished Sunday’s game with a 62.3 QBR, too.

NFL analyst Ryan Clark was quite impressed by how Purdy was able to maneuver whether in or out of the pocket.

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Clark posted this comment online: “Brock Purdy is such an underrated scrambler. He produces so many second-chance plays through pocket movement.”

Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel took note of how Purdy and Evans worked well together in the victory. Daniel wrote this after the game: “Mike Evans is the best thing to happen to Brock Purdy … 1 on 1 situations…just throw it up to him”.

Dieter Kurtenbach, a columnist for the San Jose Mercury News, watched how Purdy and Evans worked, too, especially on a clutch drive downfield. Kurtenbach put this online: “Brock Purdy’s final stats: 19-of-29 189 yards, 2 TD 1INT … 89 of those passing yards (plus six rushing yards) came on that Evans, Evans, Evans drive. 6-of-7 (only incomplete being the questionable int. grounding), TD and 2pter. Big time.”

NFL analyst Steve Palazzolo was also impressed by what Purdy did on Sunday against the Seahawks. Palazzolo wrote, “MVP 4th quarter performance by Brock Purdy”.

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Analyst Daron Vaught is ready to give Purdy that MVP award right now after just 5 weeks and the 49ers sitting with a perfect 5-0 record in the NFC West Division. Vaught posted online, “It’s only Week 5, but Brock Purdy looks like the MVP, doesn’t he?”

During Fox Sports’ telecast of the 49ers-Seahawks with play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt and analyst Tom Brady, Brady pointed out how impressed he was with how the quarterback communicated on the field with his teammates.

ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes could not hold back her enthusiasm over the game itself and how Purdy played in front of a noisy group of “The 12s,” as Seahawks fans are called.

Kimes posted this on X after the game: “Insanely good game. One of the things that jumped out to me, outside of Purdy + Evans’ connection on the go ahead drive….SF ran the ball on Seattle in a way we don’t usually see–58% success rate between CMC and Black. This Niners ground game is so much better than it was last year.”

It’s also worth noting that the 49ers sustained some injuries in the game, so head coach Kyle Shanahan and his staff will have to monitor their recovery.

But it’s fair to say that Sunday’s NFC West battle left 49ers fans wanting to see more of Purdy on the field.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.