San Francisco 49ers rookie Brock Purdy has gone from third-string rookie to starting against Tom Brady in just a matter of weeks, as he prepares to guide the Super Bowl contenders to the post-season with five more games to go.
The Niners have now lost both both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance to season ending injuries. Lance had started the season as the main man, but suffered a serious injury in a win over the Seattle Seahawks, with Garoppolo retaking the spot as signal-caller.
But in Sunday's win over the Miami Dolphins, Garoppolo suffered a broken foot, meaning the Niners are now down to just Purdy - a rookie who was taken with the last draft selection in the 2022 class, making him 'Mr Irrelevant'.
Purdy passed his first test this past weekend, performing well as he threw for 210 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against the Miami Dolphins.
The rookie out of Iowa State became the first-ever player to be taken with the last overall pick to throw a touchdown, and is now seemingly unchallenged as the team's quarterback, with the team signing veteran Josh Johnson from the Denver Broncos practice squad - who has played for 14 different NFL teams.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan, though, is seen as one of the best offensive minds in the league, and has created an offensive scheme which does not ask too much of the quarterback - except to get the ball out quickly and in rhythm, rather than asking them to throw for 40, 50 and 60 yards deep passes.
Should the Niners succeed with Purdy, it has been suggested that it would be as good of an achievement as Brady winning the Super Bowl in his second season in the league.
Speaking on ESPN's Get Up, former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark said: "If [the 49ers] go to the Super Bowl and win it [with Brock Purdy], this is bigger than Tom Brady winning it the first time."
A seemingly composed personality, Purdy did not look overly fazed about entering the game against the Dolphins, as he moved the ball downfield consistently and only took two-and-a-half sacks in the game.
His first full start though, is set to come against the greatest to ever do it, in Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
When asked about the proposition of his first game coming against Brady, Purdy calmly responded: "I think it's cool. It's really cool. Dude's been playing football longer than I have been alive!
"To have my first start against the GOAT is going to be cool, but it's any other game, man. I just have to be efficient, do my thing and play football."
The Niners have today been linked with Baker Mayfield, who was released from the Carolina Panthers.
However, they will have to hope that 22 other teams do not claim him on waivers, and even then, he'd have to beat out Purdy to earn the job if picked up by San Francisco.
