Brock Purdy has made a grand total of two career NFL starts, and yet, he has surged into the top-5 of the Offensive Rookie of the Year race.
The San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback put on a third straight impressive display on Thursday night, throwing for 217 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Purdy, who was the last pick in the draft, now has Rookie of the Year odds of +1000, which is the fifth-best among first-year players on offense, according to BetMGM on December 16th.
New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson is the favorite with +140 odds, followed by Packers receiver Christian Watson at +300, Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker at +350 and Saints wide receiver Chris Olave at +550.
If Purdy wins it, a bet of $10 at +1000 odds would result in $100 of profit.
Quarterback is the most valuable position in the NFL, and Purdy has been able to keep the ship afloat in San Francisco despite season-ending injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.
Purdy entered a Week 13 game against the Dolphins after Garoppolo broke his foot and helped the team to a 33-17 win. In Week 14, the 49ers pounded the Buccaneers, 35-7, and Purdy finished with the best Total QBR of any quarterback in the NFL.
San Francisco is 3-0 in games with Purdy as the main quarterback and he has posted a passer rating of 108.8 with six touchdowns and only one interception in that span.
Purdy would be the heavy favorite to win Rookie of the Year if he had a bigger sample size, but with only three games remaining in the season, it is still an uphill climb.
He would have to produce more of the same down the stretch in order to leapfrog the other four contenders, but it helps that there is no clear-cut favorite to win the award. Purdy is already gaining steam, as he had +2500 odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year before the Thursday Night Football game against Seattle.
The 49ers have Super Bowl odds of +700 despite the loss of their top two quarterbacks, as the oddsmakers believe Purdy and a stellar cast around him still have what it takes to compete.
Purdy will be the starter down the stretch so he will have six games for the voters to consider, but he will need to continue his stellar showing and pile up the wins to have a legitimate shot at the hardware.
