What is the ‘Tom Brady Curse’ that Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers will seek to reverse?

This Sunday the San Francisco 49ers (8-4) will be hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6) at Levi’s Stadium in a Week 14 duel.

Brock Purdy will have his first start as quarterback, after Jimmy Garoppolo got sidelined by a broken foot. This is a big moment for the rookie QB, as he will face three-time NFL MVP Tom Brady in his debut as a starter.

Purdy will be the seventh quarterback to make his first NFL career start against the 45-year-old, and he is hoping to buck a trend.

He joins the list of Luke McCown, Matt Flynn, Tyler Palko, Jake Locker, EJ Manuel and Luke Falk. All of them have one other thing in common: they lost against the veteran, so there is a kind of ‘Tom Brady curse’ against rookie QBs.

Brock Purdy has made a good impression

Purdy’s first experience at the controls has been good; last Sunday he entered the field after Jimmy G’s injury and threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns in the 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Mr. Irrelevant now very relevant

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“He is very aggressive in what he does. Sometimes that can keep teams in the game, so it’s something you have to work on as you play more, but that’s where you want to start,” said Kyle Shanahan, head coach of the Niners.

“When a guy can make a few plays like he does, it gives you a chance to win, but we have to figure out the best way to win with him,”