What excites 49ers' Brock Purdy about his upcoming Dallas debut?

Cam Inman, Bay Area News Group on Nov 12, 2026

Published in Football

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Every chapter of Brock Purdy’s career seems like unchartered territory. So what’s it like when the 49ers’ quarterback actually ventures into a new stadium, as he will Sunday to visit the Dallas Cowboys’ megamansion?

“Obviously, going back with the history of the Niners and the Cowboys, I’m extremely excited to go there on the road and feel that energy,” Purdy said Thursday. “It’s always fun to go to a new NFL stadium for me. In Year 5, obviously I haven’t played in all of them, but I always look forward to the new environments.”

Purdy has played in 16 opposing stadiums, leaving 13 on his to-do list, including the Cowboys’ 18-year-old AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The 49ers (7-1) lost their last road game, Oct. 25 in Atlanta, which marked Purdy’s debut there.

This is the 49ers’ first Dallas visit since the 2021 season’s 23-17 upset win in the wild-card playoffs, before a crowd of 93,470. Purdy was drafted 104 days later, famously with the final pick.

When Purdy, now the NFL’s all-time leader in passer rating, steps into Dallas’ dome, he’ll instantly discover jumbo videoboards hovering over the field. Next on his checklist are identifying the location of the play clock and the down-and-distance display.

A bipartisan crowd will surround all that, as has been the case since the 49ers Faithful’s first visit in a 2014 victory. The only other 49ers’ games at “Jerry World” were a December 2020 loss and the next season’s wild-card win.

The Cowboys have lost three straight there after winning their home debut against Washington. The 49ers’ visit kicks off a three-game homestand for the Cowboys.

Purdy says the sight of Dallas’ stats can be deceiving, even if the defense ranks 30th in yards allowed, 31st in run defense, and 32nd (last) in third-down efficiency. Matt Eberflus, last season’s Cowboys defensive coordinator, is now the 49ers’ assistant head coach/defense. “When you turn on the film, you can sort of see the truth with how guys look, how they play, what’s their motor? I respect the heck out of the Cowboys,” Purdy said. “They have that kind of defense where they have playmakers.

“The stats, I don’t look into that a whole lot, but I see a team that is a good squad across the board. They can make you pay, and they’ve gotten quarterbacks in situations they have to play ball and be smart.”

Purdy is 10-6 in road stadium debuts. Others he’s yet to play in: Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Green Bay, Houston, Kansas City, New England, New Orleans, New York, and Tennessee.

The 49ers are coming off a 38-17 home win over the Raiders, a game in which Purdy celebrated a rushing touchdown with an uncharacteristic thumbs-down signal to, well, a character in the crowd. “I was trying to get everyone going, then I see one Raiders fan sticking out, booing me,” Purdy said with a chuckle. “I was like, ‘Nah, dude.’ I was just having fun with it.”

The 49ers’ all-time quarterbacks who won their Dallas debuts: John Brodie (1960), Steve Spurrier (1972), Steve Young (1989), Joe Montana (1990), Elvis Grbac (1995), Jeff Garcia (2000), Colin Kaepernick (2014), and Jimmy Garoppolo (2021 season wild-card playoff). Those who lost: George Mira (1965), Norm Snead (1974), Steve DeBerg (1980), Shaun Hill (2008), and Nick Mullens (2020).