The San Francisco 49ers’ season ended in painful fashion, and even Tom Brady knew exactly how bad it looked from the broadcast booth.
Despite battling injuries all year, the 49ers still managed to win 12 games, reach the playoffs, and even pull off an upset over the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round. It was a resilient run that had fans believing something special might still be possible.
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Then came the Seattle Seahawks.
In the Divisional Round, San Francisco’s momentum came to a screeching halt with a stunning 41-6 loss. The Seahawks dominated on both sides of the ball, and the 49ers’ offense never found a rhythm. At the center of the storm was quarterback Brock Purdy, who spent most of the night running for survival rather than running the offense.
Purdy was under relentless pressure. One advanced stat told the whole story: across 33 dropbacks, he ran a combined 413 yards just trying to escape defenders behind the line of scrimmage.
When that number flashed across the screen during FOX’s broadcast, Brady couldn’t help but react.
“That’s almost like Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl I played against him,” Brady said.
It was a comparison that sounded flattering on the surface, but in context, it cut deep.
Why Brady’s Mahomes comparison wasn’t a compliment
Normally, being mentioned alongside Patrick Mahomes is the ultimate sign of respect. This time, it was a reminder of one of the most lopsided quarterback struggles in recent NFL history.
Brady was referencing Super Bowl LV, when his Tampa Bay Buccaneers dismantled Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9. That game is remembered not for Mahomes’ brilliance, but for how helpless even the league’s best quarterback looked behind a broken offensive line.
Kansas City entered that Super Bowl without both starting tackles, and Tampa’s defensive front feasted. Mahomes was officially sacked three times, but the deeper numbers were shocking: according to Next Gen Stats, he ran for 497 yards behind the line of scrimmage trying to avoid pressure before either throwing or being brought down.
Sound familiar?
That’s exactly the kind of chaos Purdy experienced against Seattle. The Seahawks’ pass rush collapsed the pocket almost immediately on most snaps, forcing Purdy to scramble laterally, reset repeatedly, and throw under constant duress. The result was predictable: 15 completions on 27 attempts, 140 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception.
It wasn’t that Purdy didn’t try. It was that he never had a chance.
And that context matters. When quarterbacks are forced to play backyard football every snap, execution becomes nearly impossible. Timing routes break down. Receivers can’t complete patterns. Protection schemes fail. Even elite talent struggles, as Mahomes himself proved on the biggest stage.
That’s why Brady’s comment, while blunt, also served as an unintentional defense of Purdy. It wasn’t a lack of talent. It was a total structural collapse around him.
Perspective on Purdy’s season
Despite the ugly playoff exit, Purdy’s overall season deserves respect. He missed six games due to turf toe, yet still threw for 2,167 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while completing nearly 70% of his passes in nine regular-season appearances.
More importantly, the 49ers navigated a season full of injuries and still produced 12 wins and a postseason victory. That doesn’t happen without strong quarterback play.
Getting blown out by a division rival in January always stings. But context matters. With a healthier roster and better protection in 2026, Purdy may get another chance to prove that the Brady comparison, next time, can be for all the right reasons.
