QB Brock Purdy: 49ers-Cowboys rivalry 'no secret' ahead of Sunday's game

Brock Purdy has yet to lose an NFL game that he’s played from start to finish.

He boasts a perfect 11-0 record in such contests, but on Sunday night he’s set for a 2022 Divisional Round rematch against the Dallas Cowboys, a team he admitted gave him one of his hardest tests yet.

“Yeah, honestly, I’d say so,” Purdy said Thursday when asked if last year’s playoff game against Dallas was his toughest game as a QB, per team transcript. “They were a really good defense and like I said, there were times where just the pass rush or my rhythm, something just felt off in that game and they did a good job of just getting me offset with some little things and just sort of made me rush some things and I feel like I didn’t get in a good rhythm to process just what we had going on.

“So, there were some areas in there where I could definitely be better at. … I do expect more to myself to be able to take the next step and go through reads, progressions, even with the pass rush that might be a little bit more aggressive and so that’s where I’m at with that. But definitely one of my toughest games.”

The 49ers memorably grinded out a 19-12 win the last time the teams met, ending Dallas’ season for a second straight year before disaster struck in a 31-7 NFC Championship Game loss to Philadelphia in which Purdy tore his UCL.

That disappointment still stings for San Francisco, and it’ll have another shot at the Eagles in Week 13, but it’s the Cowboys and the NFL’s top-ranked scoring defense looming a day away.

Purdy entered last year’s matchup on a roll with 1,430 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions through six starts. He had posted a passer rating above 114 in all but one of those contests, thrown multiple TDs in each of them and the Niners were averaging 34.8 points a game with him as their QB1.

Even in victory, though, the stats from Purdy’s seventh career start back up his admission.

Dallas’ defense found ways to disrupt the endless cavalcade of San Francisco playmakers, slowing them to a punt or field goal on eight of the 49ers’ nine drives. Purdy endured his first career start without a passing TD, and his 19 offensive points and 87.4 passer rating remain all-time lows for the second-year QB a month into the 2023 season. 

His own stellar defense picked up the slack, matching Dallas’ dominance and then some by forcing two turnovers and allowing 12 points.

The multiple ways San Francisco can demoralize opponents — both in years past and today — is what has them entering October unbeaten. Still, Purdy is hoping the lessons learned from his struggles against the Cowboys last year result in pulling more weight this time around.

“Just looking at that [playoff] game and sort of just putting ourselves back into what was at stake, as a playoff game, just the rivalry of the organizations and understanding what’s at stake for this Sunday too,” Purdy said. “It’s a big game. And yeah, we’ve definitely gone back and looked at a lot of stuff in that game.”

Both teams are arguably packing even more firepower heading into Week 5 than they were last preseason.

The 49ers sit at 4-0 with both the third-ranked offense and defense in points, having scored 30 or more in every game. The Cowboys had a shocking stumble, losing to the Cardinals, 28-16, in Week 3, but have otherwise dismantled opponents to the tune of a 108-13 scoring discrepancy. Their top-ranked D is complemented by an offense that’s fourth in points scored.

There’s also the playoff history between these squads. Dating back to 1971 and concluding with two Divisional Round games in a row, San Francisco and Dallas have had nine postseason meetings. The 49ers are 4-5 in those contests, but they’ve also won the last three and hold the slightest edge over the Cowboys in the regular season (15-14-1).

That storied history, as well as the best two NFC juggernauts have to offer, will be on display on Sunday night.

Purdy knows it, and he’s hoping to make the teams’ 40th meeting a game of redemption for him rather than one of revenge for his opponents.

“Yeah, just where we’re at, what we’re trying to do,” Purdy said when asked if the game has a little more meaning than normal early-season contests. “Obviously, every single game is important and for this week we got the Cowboys, so this is the most important game to us.

“If you go another step further than that just the history with the two organizations, the playoff games, all that stuff, the last couple years. Everyone knows it’s no secret. Like it’s a big deal to both organizations and we take pride in obviously winning and things like that. So that’s where we’re at with that. But at the same time, man, it’s another Sunday for us and we just want to take care of business.”