Even good players go through slumps. However, their ability to bounce back separates them from the rest of the competition. That’s what San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy went through before their Week 9 bye. But the second-year player from Iowa State bounced back by reinstating his domination.

Purdy suffered his first regular-season defeat in a 19-17 upset by the Cleveland Browns. The Browns' defense chased him all over the field, leading to unimpressive stats of 12 completions for 125 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He completed a season-low 44.4 percent of his passes against Cleveland.

Unfortunately, San Francisco’s losing ways parlayed to three games. While he had better stats and completion percentages against the Minnesota Vikings and the Cincinnati Bengals, his four interceptions proved costly.

Those setbacks became learning experiences for the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. From there, he helped the 49ers bounce back with two consecutive victories. He was hardly a liability because he averaged 20 completions for 315 yards and a 79 percent completion rate.

More importantly, he threw for six touchdowns and zero interceptions. Purdy had 19 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars. A week later, he had 21 completions for 333 yards and three scores versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Those victories helped Purdy lead the league in five categories: passer rating (115.1), completion percentage (70.2), touchdowns per attempt (6.5 percent), yards per attempt (9.7), and yards per completion (13.8).

The Niners’ two victories maintained their one-game lead over the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West. But for Purdy, those performances reestablish that defenses must fear him. After all, the talented San Francisco offense won’t work if he doesn’t conduct it in perfect rhythm.

-Lance Fernandez