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It is not any kind of exaggeration to call Sunday’s NFC Championship Game the biggest contest of Brock Purdy’s life. It was an opportunity for the San Francisco 49ers quarterback to accomplish the inconceivable—to go from “Mr. Irrelevant” to the Super Bowl in just his second season. To pour a massive bucket of cold water on the notion that he’s a game manager propped up by one of the most talented and balanced rosters in the NFL.
For the first 30 minutes of the game, it appeared that Purdy’s naysayers were going to be out in force on Monday morning. To say he was shaky is being kind.
But Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan must have given Purdy one heck of a halftime pep talk, because a completely different signal-caller was out there in the second half. After leading the 49ers to 27 unanswered points after halftime and a 34-31 win, San Francisco will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of Super Bowl LIV.
But if the 49ers are going to flip the results of that game in 2020 and win the franchise’s sixth championship in Vegas, Purdy will need to take yet another step. He can’t have an uneven game against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. There can’t be mistakes.
Simply put, Purdy will have to play the game of his life.
Purdy’s career stats wouldn’t appear to open the door to a lot of criticism. In 25 regular-season games and 21 starts, he has 17 wins. He’s thrown 44 touchdown passes, only 15 interceptions and has a career passer rating of 111.4.
In 2023, Purdy passed for 4,280 yards, completed 69.4 percent of his passes, threw 31 touchdowns against 11 interceptions and led the league in passer rating at 113.0, most yards per attempt at 9.6 and yards per completion at 13.9.
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But despite those impressive numbers, criticism of Purdy’s ability to elevate a team to the game’s greatest heights persisted. Earlier this week, ESPN analyst and former NFL safety Ryan Clark offered this assessment of Purdy, per Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post.
“(Purdy) can operate in Kyle Shanahan’s offense at an extremely efficient level,” Clark said, “(but he) doesn’t raise the level of play of anyone around him.”
To be fair, Purdy’s teammates vehemently disagree.
“We’re all sitting here because of him, obviously,” Brandon Aiyuk told reporters earlier in the week. “Steady. A dawg. Just a football player. I love playing football with him. He’s the reason why I’m sitting here today with an opportunity this weekend to play my best football, because of a quarterback like him.”
The thing is, in the first half Sunday, Clark looked to be right. Purdy threw for less than 100 yards before intermission, tossed a bad interception that led to a Lions touchdown and had a passer rating under 40. He missed open receivers and looked uncomfortable in the pocket. At the break, the 49ers were staring at a 24-7 deficit and a potential blowout.
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In many respects, it was similar to last week’s win over the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round. In rainy conditions at Levi’s Stadium, Purdy was just 17-of-32 on San Francisco’s first eight possessions and was nearly picked off twice.
But just like against the Packers, Purdy turned it on when it mattered. In the second half against the Lions, Purdy repeatedly extended plays or gained yards with his legs. Throws that he missed in the first half were right on target, including a ridiculous pass and catch by fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
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By game’s end, Purdy had completed 20-of-31 passes for 267 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Not gaudy numbers by any stretch, but solid. Most importantly, he helped the Niners peel off 27 unanswered points and turn what could have been a rout into a trip to Sin City to take on the Chiefs.
Shanahan made it clear he has no doubt Purdy is capable of winning a Super Bowl, bristling earlier this week when reporters questioned his decision-making.
“Something I talk to every quarterback about every single day I’ve coached,” Shanahan said. “It’s crazy how many questions we’re getting about every one of Brock’s decisions. Sometimes when quarterbacks make bad decisions forcing it deep, they should check it down. Sometimes when they check it down and a guy hits the guy right away, they’re like, ‘Damn, I had that over the top.’ Brock’s as good as any quarterback I’ve had at making those decisions. It does not mean he’s perfect. Try and find me that guy.”
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But the thing is, Purdy needs to be perfect if the 49ers are going to beat the Chiefs—or at least close.
Yes, the Chiefs weren’t as dominant this year as they have been in seasons past. The offense isn’t as explosive. Blah blah blah. But here we are, with the Chiefs champions of the AFC for the fourth time in five years. That experience matters—all the Super Bowl hoopla and distractions are old hat for Patrick Mahomes and company.
The Chiefs defense is better and more balanced than Green Bay or Detroit’s. And Kansas City has arguably the greatest quarterback who has ever played under center.
That doesn’t mean Purdy has to carry the Niners. Or that he’s single-handedly responsible for stopping the Chiefs from becoming the first repeat champs in two decades. It will be vital for the 49ers to get Christian McCaffrey and the run game going—the Chiefs can’t score if they don’t have the ball. And San Francisco’s defense has work of its own to do—their first half against Detroit was as ugly as Purdy’s.
But there can’t be a bad half of football. There can’t be missed opportunities to hit open receivers. And there most assuredly cannot be turnovers.
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Even if Purdy and the Niners win Super Bowl LVIII, some will still claim that he’s an average talent surrounded by exceptional weapons with a great coach. But it will sound a lot more like sour grapes than valid criticism.
For that to happen, the Niners need 60 minutes of what we saw in the second half Sunday night—only this time, on the biggest stage in sports.
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