All through the 2023 NFL season, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy faced one big question from his critics. Can he lead his team back from a deficit? Can he recover after having a bad game and lead his team to victory? Was it possible for him to win when everything wasn’t perfect or when a key player was out? On Saturday Night, on a soaked Levi’s Stadium turf and a rainy California evening, the second-year pro answered those questions. A resounding yes. This game told the NFL community more about Purdy than any of his flashy blowout wins during the regular season. It showed that he has character. Resolve. Mentality. Grit. And most of the time, these are the things that make or break a quarterback.
Take Packers quarterback Jordan Love for example. Love played a great game. Over the first three quarters, he was far and away the best quarterback on the field. He looked every bit the quarterback that Aaron Rodgers had failed to be against the 49ers over his legendary career. Cool. Calm. Collected. He didn’t key in on any receivers. He didn’t try to do too much. Love played within Green Bay head coach Matt LaFluer’s system to a tee. At the same time, Purdy was the complete opposite. Rattled. Shook. He looked like the quarterback we witnessed against Baltimore and Cleveland. Purdy overthrew receivers. He underthrew recieers. He threw it too far to the left and too far to the right. Frankly, he should’ve been intercepted at least twice.
Brock Purdy Comes Through In Biggest Moment
But here’s something Pete Carroll would tell you. A game isn’t won in the first three quarters – especially a close playoff game. And when this game got into crunch time, Purdy only elevated his play while Love crumbled. Purdy went 6/7 for 47 yards and two key scrambles for 11 yards on San Francisco’s final drive. Meanwhile, Love went 7/13 for 30 yards and two interceptions in the 4th quarter. That was arguably the difference in the game. Packers kicker Anders Carlson’s missed kick was a big deal but 49ers kicker Jake Moody missed a kick as well. So in my humble opinion, Love wilting in the 4th quarter and Purdy blooming was the difference in this game.
Sure. The critics still exist. Fox host Nick Wright and other popular social media presences have started to move the goalposts again. Purdy himself didn’t score in the fourth quarter, now did he? That was running back Christian McCaffrey’s drive, ignoring all the key plays that Purdy made. Yes. McCaffrey finished the drive. But that’s because he’s the 49ers’ best player and you put the ball in the hands of your best player in crucial moments. Let’s not ignore the fact that last drive had Purdy’s fingerprints all over it. That was HIS moment.
The Court of Public Opinion
Football fans have seen this story before. So I’m not sure why when Brock Purdy does the same thing that we’ve seen Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes do countless times, it suddenly doesn’t count. Go on social media and you’ll find posts of “Purdy didn’t play well”. He didn’t. But how does that matter? It doesn’t. Not even in the slightest. He showed up when it mattered most. He put his team in a position to win. Jordan Love didn’t. That’s it. End of Story. Purdy did what all the great ones have done at some point. Win a game that you didn’t play well in or didn’t deserve to win.
That should be the last thing that the 49ers and the NFL community should need as proof that he’s a very good quarterback. But alas. It isn’t. Because for whatever reason, people expect perfection and have higher standards for a 2nd-year 24-year quarterback who was selected dead last in the draft than they do for some veterans. The only thing that might ward them off is a Super Bowl. I said might because even that is no guarantee. The discourse surrounding Purdy proves that public evaluation of quarterbacks is at an all-time low and frankly, is downright pathetic and shameful.
Main Photo: Mark Hoffman – USA Today Sports
