Playmaker Brock Purdy has made an amazing rise with the San Francisco 49ers. A win against the Eagles could make him the first rookie quarterback to make it to the Superbowl.
US sport has a big heart for the losers, and this can also be seen in the NFL drafts: At the annual talent exchange, where the clubs choose from the best young players, the player who was drawn last gets a big performance. He is celebrated as “Mr. Irrelevant”, loosely translated: the player that nobody actually needs.
In the past, they mostly only had a supporting role in the NFL. The headlines that Brock Purdy has been producing since December are all the bigger: The quarterback was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the draft last year. As number 262, the last of his year.
One more win before the Superbowl for Purdy and the 49ers
Now the league newcomer leads the 49ers in the conference finals on Sunday (01/29/2023) against the Philadelphia Eagles. If San Francisco wins, Purdy would become the first rookie quarterback to take his team to the Superbowl, the final of the NFL title. Legends like Ben Roethlisberger (2004 with Pittsburgh) or Joe Flacco (2008 with Baltimore) made it to the semifinals in their debut season, as did Purdy now, but just didn’t get any further.
Purdy’s success story already seems surreal, because in the internal hierarchy at the 49ers he was only intended as the number three playmaker. Behind young hopeful Trey Lance, selected as the number three pick in 2021, and Jimmy Garoppolo, a veteran playmaker who the 49ers once signed to a $137.5 million contract.
From number three playmaker to 49ers leader
After Lance was out as a starting quarterback early in the season, Garoppolo was also seriously injured in early December. And Purdy took his chance – like a number 262 in the draft with nothing to lose.
In his first game on the starting lineup, San Francisco defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for quarterback legend par excellence: Tom Brady. Purdy became the first quarterback in NFL history to make his debut as a starter against a Brady team and win. “It was unreal,” Purdy described the duel with Brady on the pitch.
Suddenly indispensable: 49ers fan with Purdy jersey and number 262 from the draft
From the nobody from the back corner of the squad to the new leader in a Superbowl-Contender – a fast-forward climber fairy tale, as the Americans and the US media love it. Since Purdy took over as playmaker, the 49ers have gone eight games unbeaten.
The 23-year-old rookie didn’t shake when it came to the playoffs either. In the wildcard game against Seattle, he made three touchdown passes and remained without an interception, i.e. without intercepted passes, just like in the quarterfinals win against the Dallas Cowboys.
49ers with the best offense in the league – thanks to leader Purdy
In total, he has had 13 successful touchdown assists since his debut, which is the best in the league. Purdy is not the quarterback for the spectacular passes over 20 or 30 yards. But he delivers consistent, rock-solid values - under Purdy’s direction, the tepid 49ers offense at the start of the season has developed into the best in the league, averaging 31.75 points per game.
Purdy, at 23 the youngest quarterback of all semi-final teams, benefits from experienced position players such as George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Juszczyk, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, whom he has played brilliantly so far.
Iowa State college coach: ‘Brock was always about winning’
For longtime collaborators like Matt Campbell, Purdy’s coach in college at Iowa State, this comes as no surprise: “Brock never cared about the scoring record. It was always about winning for him” Campbell said on ESPN. “He’s always had this special ability to bring out the best in the team.“
The Iowa State team had led Purdy to the Fiesta Bowl two years ago in the college championship. With the 49ers, he’s just one win away from playing for the biggest title in American football.
