Brock Purdy will need to play more like “Mr. Consistent” and less like “Mr. Irrelevant” on Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers take on the Detroit Lions in the NFC championship game.
The San Francisco quarterback struggled often during the 49ers’ 24-21 win against the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round game last week. However, he did guide the offense on a final drive that produced the game-winning touchdown.
Purdy, the final pick (No. 262) of the 2022 NFL draft, insists he has shaken off his up-and-down performance against the Packers. He’s looking forward, not backward.
“It doesn’t matter if you played good or bad. “I don’t take really any of that with you the next week, it’s a new game, it’s a new scheme, it’s a new environment. Everything about it is new,” Purdy told reporters on Wednesday. “So it’s almost like you’ve got to clean the slate, learn from the mistakes, build off of the good things that you’ve done.”
Purdy did enough good things to help the 49ers win and advance. Even though the 49ers won, Purdy critics were out in force following the game.
The critics say he’s a quarterback possessing little athleticism and even less arm strength. Further, they say he’s product of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s system and carried by elite-level talent such as running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, along with tight end George Kittle.
Purdy produced impressive numbers during the regular season. He threw for 4,280 yards along with 31 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions while completing 69.4% of his passes. But he struggled when Samuel suffered a shoulder injury and exited the game against the Packers in the first quarter. With Purdy largely ineffective on a rainy night, the 49ers’ fans were palpably nervous.
Purdy had completed 17-of-32 passes during the first eight drives of the game against Green Bay and two of his passes should have been intercepted. Purdy’s throws were too high, too low, too wide during much of the game. Purdy changed the narrative on the final drive by completing 6-of-7 passes for 47 yards, including two third-down conversions.
“We’re all sitting here because of him, obviously,” Aiyuk told reporters on Wednesday. “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.”
A slow or erratic start against the Lions will be troublesome for Purdy and 49ers, and could result in the 49ers losing their third consecutive NFC championship game.
Kittle said he’s not worried about Purdy and the haters.
“I think Brock’s just going to be dialed the way that he has been all season, the last two years for us,” Kittle told reporters. “And people can say whatever they want to say, and he’s just going to go out there and be Brock
