Eric Williams
NFC West Writer
The NFL orchestrated an enticing Christmas contest with a potential Super Bowl preview featuring the San Francisco 49ers (11-3) hosting the Baltimore Ravens (11-3) on Monday Night Football.
The Ravens can clinch the AFC North division title with a victory, while the 49ers could clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye with a win, along with losses by Philadelphia, Dallas and Detroit.
Monday’s battle of the NFL’s top two teams also pits the top two players in terms of MVP odds in San Francisco’s Brock Purdy and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson.
Purdy is the ultimate ball distributor, playing with a stacked group of playmakers, while Jackson exhibits elite wizardry in off-schedule playmaking. While they do it differently, both are fueling their teams and could meet again in the big game in February.
Let’s take a closer look at their playing styles.
Purdy’s elite vision makes him ultimate point guard
For 49ers head coach and offensive playcaller Kyle Shanahan, Purdy’s superpowers are simple: his excellent field vision and consistent ability to deliver the ball on time and on target.
“It’s a God-given trait that develops,” Shanahan told reporters this week when asked about Purdy’s field vision. “I think you’re on a certain spectrum. The more times you get put in those situations, the more reps you can get, your preparation to what to anticipate in those situations, everything can make that a talent that you were kind of born with that you can extremely excel in or that you don’t really develop.”
Purdy leads the NFL in most passing categories, including touchdown passes (29), expected points added (0.27) per dropback, yards per attempt (9.9) and passer rating (119). He’s second in passing yards (3,795). The second-year pro out of Iowa State has six games this season with at least a 130-passer rating, tied for most in a single season in league history.
Did Brock Purdy improve his…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/mvp-favorites-brock-purdy-lamar-jackson-present-a-stark-contrast-in-styles
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Publish date : 2023-12-20 19:45:37
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