The 49ers' biggest advantage in the NFC playoffs

This is a big one.

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The most important factor when it comes to winning in the NFL is the quarterback position. A team can have a lot of flaws, but if the quarterback is making key plays, it can overcome a lot of the issues. As the San Francisco 49ers currently stand, they may be able to continue their run in the postseason due to Brock Purdy.

Is Brock Purdy the best quarterback left in the NFC playoffs?

When breaking down the NFC playoffs, Purdy is the second-most-experienced quarterback left. Caleb Williams and Sam Darnold have just one start in the playoffs. Matthew Stafford is likely the most trusted quarterback remaining, as he has a Super Bowl ring and a strong case for the MVP this year. 

However, during the home stretch of the season, you can argue that Purdy is playing just as well as Stafford. Since Week 11, Purdy has 18 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Stafford has a few more touchdowns and one fewer interception, but Purdy has a much higher completion rate. He also has a higher PFF grade and passer rating, indicating that while Purdy is not quite producing on that level, his play is just as efficient. 

Name	Completion Rate	YPA	TD	INT	PFF grade	Rating
Brock Purdy	69	7.6	18	8	90.1	102.3
Matthew Stafford	62	7.9	24	7	88.2	101.9
Caleb Williams	54.5	6.7	16	5	72	85.5
Sam Darnold	64.7	7.2	8	8	54.5	83.2

More than that, he has been clearly better than both Williams and Darnold. Williams has played well in the home stretch, but he has a low completion rate and yards per attempt. He is mostly getting by on volume. Darnold has been on the borderline of poor since Week 11, signaling he is the worst quarterback remaining. 

So, the 49ers could look at it and think that it is tough for them to draw the best defense in the Divisional Round. However, on the same end, they are drawing the worst quarterback, and the most important player on their end is coming off of a good game. 

If Purdy can make a few key plays and if he can flex his experience over Darnold, it can easily neutralize the defense and give the 49ers the edge in the matchup. It has not often been the case that Kyle Shanahan has walked into playoff games with the better and more experienced quarterback, but that is going to happen this weekend, and could happen again in the following week. 

The San Francisco 49ers look like underdogs, but if we look back and see that they had the best quarterback the entire time, it may not be a shock that a postseason run is coming.