Brock Purdy's 49ers legacy is already secure, regardless of how he performs in Super Bowl 58
Brock Purdy was already a remarkable story only five games into his NFL career as a starter. After an exceptional first full season as the San Francisco 49ers' number one quarterback and a playoff campaign in which he has staged successive comebacks in two instant classics to lead the Niners back to the Super Bowl, […]
Brock Purdy was already a remarkable story only five games into his NFL career as a starter. After an exceptional first full season as the San Francisco 49ers' number one quarterback and a playoff campaign in which he has staged successive comebacks in two instant classics to lead the Niners back to the Super Bowl, his place in franchise folklore is secure.
That is the case regardless of whether Purdy is able to help the 49ers engineer a defeat of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to secure San Francisco's first Lombardi Trophy since the 1994 season.
Such a statement may appear extremely bold on the surface, but to stake Purdy's legacy on what he does in Las Vegas or in any future Super Bowls that may be on the horizon in future seasons is to ignore the context of his remarkable journey to this point.
Riding the Purdycoaster
Purdy delivered a reminder of the backstory in an interview with Peter King following San Francisco's incredible 34-31 win over the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship Game.
"It’s been a roller coaster, really," Purdy said. "You finish your senior year in college. You get drafted last. Um, you think maybe there’s no shot to get drafted, then all of a sudden, there is.
“You make the team. You’re a backup. Then you’re getting thrown in. Then obviously you’re one win away from going to the Super Bowl your rookie year. You tear your arm. You go through the rehab process. You make it back.
“You go through some good times in the season. You go through some times that are tough, with the three losses we had in a row, and [four-interception] performance against Baltimore on Christmas Day. It’s a roller coaster, man. I’ve just tried to do my best to take it one day at a time and be where my feet are at, whether it’s going good or not. I’m not defined by my circumstances. More than anything, I just try to have a grateful mindset. That’s allowed me to enjoy this last year and a half."
Purdy doesn't let his circumstances define him, but they are a critical reason why, in terms of how he is viewed years down the line, he is playing with house money.
Purdy's powers of recovery
As the last pick in the draft thrust into the fire in the middle of the 49ers' surge to the playoffs last season, Purdy rose to the occasion to win each of his seven starts as a rookie in the regular season and postseason following his winning effort in relief of Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13 against the Miami Dolphins, a game that will forever be viewed as an inflection point in franchise history.
Those string of performances were impressive enough, but they pale in comparison to what Purdy has done since recovering from the torn elbow ligament he suffered in last season's NFC Championship Game, an injury that initially appeared as if it might put his status as the Niners' 2023 Week 1 starter in question.
Such doubts look ridiculous now. Save for a three-game losing streak prior to their Week 9 bye and that Christmas Day nightmare against Baltimore, Purdy has not missed a beat since returning from the injury. His 4,280 passing yards in the regular season marked a single-season record for the Niners, while Purdy led the league in touchdown percentage, passer rating, QBR and every yards per attempt metric.
But it is second-half performance against the Lions is that will make sure he is forever remembered fondly by 49ers fans irrespective of what happens in Las Vegas.
Producing history
Purdy didn't just lead the 49ers back from a 17-point deficit, he did so by doing something no quarterback has done in the last 30 years.
In leading the Niners all the way back, Purdy threw for 174 yards in the second half and rushed for 48. He had 52 yards on scrambles, losing four yards on kneel downs.
Per OptaStats, that stunning effort saw him become the only quarterback in the last three decades to thrpw for at least 150 yards, rush for at least 45, complete 80 percent of his passes, average at least 10 yards per rush and have zero turnovers in a single half in either the regular season or postseason.
When the 49ers needed him most in the biggest game of his career, Purdy produced an historic display of his playmaking ability to get them over the line.
Purdy and the 49ers obviously know the job is not done and, wanting to join the pantheon of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks, he won't feel any sense of playing with house money.
However, in the big picture of Purdy's career, he has gone so far beyond what anyone could have ever expected that he is already one of the greatest stories in franchise history. The question now is whether he adds the most extraordinary chapter yet with a Super Bowl win over a counterpart many already see as the greatest quarterback ever.
Brock Purdy gets the ultimate pre-Super Bowl seal approval
A tough man to argue with.
