Purdy's Zero-Sack Start Faces Broncos' Top Pass Rush — SkimNews
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- Brock Purdy has thrown 10-plus total touchdowns and taken zero sacks through three weeks, a feat matched only by Dan Marino in his 1984 MVP season; he leads the NFL in passer rating (133.1), passing success rate (63.9%), and EPA per dropback (0.62) while ranking third in completion percentage (72.3%).
- The San Francisco 49ers allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL over the past two seasons (27), while the Denver Broncos piled up the most (76) — the starkest sack-margin matchup on the Week 4 slate.
- Denver's pass rush, led by two-time Pro Bowler Nik Bonitto and 2025 first-team All-Pro Zach Allen, ranks tied for seventh in sacks (8.0) and seventh in QB pressure rate (40.7%) while blitzing at the league's seventh-highest rate (40.7%).
- Purdy leads the NFL at 14.7 yards per attempt against the blitz — the third-highest mark in a season since 2018 — and blitzes have generated pressure on him at a league-low 22.7% rate, per Next Gen Stats.
- On his 19 blitzed dropbacks this season, Purdy has targeted Mike Evans and George Kittle on identical lines: both hauled in 4 of 5 targets for 2 touchdowns apiece.
- Mike Evans sat out both Wednesday and Thursday practices with a rib injury, leaving his Week 4 availability in doubt and likely funneling more targets to Kittle.
- Talanoa Hufanga, a former 49er and current Broncos All-Pro safety, sealed Denver's 23-19 Week 3 win over the Rams with a 66-yard pick-six and a game-ending red-zone interception of Matthew Stafford.
Why it matters: If Purdy extends his sack-free start past Denver's top-10 pass rush, the 49ers' franchise QB enters MVP discourse as the only player to reach four games without a sack while producing 10-plus touchdowns. If Denver gets home, it validates the Broncos' league-leading 76-sack total over the past two seasons and hands the 49ers their first offensive line crack of 2026 — with Mike Evans already banged up and Talanoa Hufanga hunting Kittle as a former teammate who just authored a signature game.
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