NFL Week 8 Awards: Brock Purdy is showing his haters they were all absolutely right

Just a few weeks ago, the San Francisco 49ers were on top of the world. They systematically dismantled the Dallas Cowboys on national television. They were undefeated and looked destined for a Super Bowl berth. Better yet, the critics who said Brock Purdy was a system quarterback propped up by a roster of All-Pros and Kyle Shanahan, the NFL’s premier offensive coach, looked incredibly incorrect about their assessment.

Well, about that.

Ever since that Dallas beatdown, San Francisco has lost three straight games. The latest was a humbling 31-17 outclassing at the hands of Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. In the process, San Francisco’s stacked defense has looked anything but vaunted, and as a team, they don’t appear to have an answer for this tailspin. More importantly, Purdy, the same man many decried as an overrated system player, finally looks the part after throwing five picks in three weeks. He resembles the player incapable of leading a contending offense.

In other words, Purdy is proving all of his critics’ concerns were wholly correct.

Brock Purdy this season:

First five games: 9 TD, 0 INT
Last three games: 3 TD, 5 INT

The 49ers have lost 3 straight pic.twitter.com/MmjYvmO94g

— ESPN (@espn) October 29, 2023

I don’t know where the 49ers go from here beyond hoping their other actual star players get healthy soon. It’s abundantly clear this squad misses Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams — two important and difference-making cogs for one of the NFC’s finest teams. When those two return, it’s likely the 49ers will be world-beaters again. They’re simply too good on paper.

But that doesn’t help Purdy’s case.

Again, the drawback about him that many rightfully believed was that he can’t elevate an offense if he’s not in an ideal situation. It was never that he couldn’t play in the NFL. He can. It was that he needed every single puzzle piece — from supporting cast to coach — to be in place to succeed at the level the elite 49ers needed. I don’t see how anyone can argue he’s not a glorified caretaker after the last few weeks. (Whispers) Special quarterbacks don’t need everything perfect to excel, folks.

This is where a beautiful irony about Purdy comes into the picture. People who believe (believed?) he was an elite player wanted to erroneously utilize the 49ers’ overall team success as evidence of his being special. OK. Sure. Let’s put on the shoe on the other foot, then. If Purdy was so great when the front-running 49ers were at the top of the NFL’s standings, most of the blame should now lie at his feet, with them scoring 51 total points in a three-game losing streak. He is, in fact, letting the 49ers down and regressing back to the mean. Hard. Because that’s how that works, right?

Purdy’s critics, yours truly included, should feel vindicated. Next time, let’s wait before we anoint the Next Big Thing at quarterback, huh?

Elsewhere in Week 8 in the NFL, an actual difference-making signal caller enjoyed his coming-out party in Nashville. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers probably have a legitimate gripe about awful officiating after their loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Let’s dive into this week’s awards and check in on a truly wacky slate of games.