Bengals' Joe Burrow Defends 49ers' Brock Purdy: Tape Shows He's Playing at High Level

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was impressed with Brock Purdy's ability to extend plays after watching film of the San Francisco 49ers signal-caller.

"Brock has made tons of plays with his legs outside the structure of the offense," Burrow said in an interview with Sports Illustrated's Robin Lundberg. "All you gotta do is go watch the tape, and you see Brock is playing at a high level."

Although he's helped lead the 49ers to Super Bowl 58, Purdy has received criticism regarding his ability to make off-script throws.

One specific critique came from former MVP-winning quarterback Cam Newton, who referred to the last pick in the 2022 NFL draft as a "game manager" during a December edition of his 4th & 1 With Cam Newton podcast.

He applied the same label to quarterbacks such as Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins, and the Detroit Lions' Jared Goff. Burrow seemingly responded to that point, disparaging the notion that a "game manager" is considered a negative term.

"Well, first of all, you better be a game manager as a quarterback, otherwise it's going to go haywire immediately and you're not going to be able to operate the offense," Burrow said to Lundberg. "That's a prerequisite to playing the quarterback position is you have to be the game manager. You have to know situations."

Purdy showcased his ability to make plays with his legs during the 49ers' 34-31 victory over the Lions in the NFC Championship game, helping San Francisco erase a 17-point halftime deficit. He rushed for 48 yards on five attempts, all of which came in the second half.

Purdy will look to maintain his mobility in the pocket against a Kansas City Chiefs defense that routinely pressured opposing quarterbacks throughout the year, with the unit's 57 sacks ranking No. 2 among all NFL teams in the regular season.