The Miami Dolphins drafted quarterback Skyler Thompson in the seventh round of the 2022 draft, and he ended up starting a playoff game for them. Normally, that would be the peak of a QB drafted that late's career. San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant, but he is hardly irrelevant anymore.
Dolphins fans know that had they drafted Purdy, who grew up a major fan of the team and Dan Marino, they would have ruined him. He was lucky to have had the 49ers coaching staff to develop him.
The two teams will play in Week 2 on Sunday, and one 49ers expert sees this game as a blow to Purdy sticking around in the NFL MVP race.
49ers expert sees Miami Dolphins defense as a major detriment in Brock Purdy's MVP chase
There is a lot of disrespect toward the Dolphins roster. They are the youngest team in the league; they play the second-toughest schedule this season; they started 5 rookies in week one; and their rookie class was on the field for a large chunk of the team's snaps. They also have the largest amount of dead cap space.
The 49ers are back from their long trip to Australia, where Purdy had his way against the Super Bowl favorite Rams. His performance began to generate MVP talk, much like Jacob Rodriguez had some talk as Defensive Rookie of the Year. It's still just one week into the season, however.
Zane Gelphman of Niner Noise sees Purdy's chances of maintaining MVP momentum as being hurt by playing against this Dolphins roster. Purdy is listed as the fifth-ranked player in an early MVP tracker.
"The very nature of the game has Purdy primed for success," Gelphman said. "However, it is because of this very expectation that his inevitable domination will hardly move the needle."
I highly doubt that the Dolphins are invested enough in what Gelphman has to say, but "Inevitable domination" would be prime bulletin board material. The Niner Noise author couldn't help but continue to degrade the Dolphins.
- The Dolphins are coming off a loss to the lowly Raiders
- Gave up 3 touchdowns to the 38-year-old Cousins
- One can only imagine what Purdy and his offense will do
Only Dolphins fans get to make fun of them like that! Just kidding. While he is probably right, nothing would be more awesome than seeing Purdy being forced into bad throws that rookie Michael Taaffe picks off, or watching Rodriguez strip-sack him, or watching their hot-hand receivers get plastered by Zayne Gonzalez at the point of the catch.
If anything, Purdy and his "high-powered" offense will make the Dolphins' defense much better and more disciplined and will give them plenty of tape to correct problems. That's an optimistic view, right?
Sadly, he's probably right, but Dolphins fans can wish, hope, and pray that the 13.5-point spread turns out to be a big mistake.
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