The San Francisco 49ers earned a spot in Super Bowl LVIII by coming back from a 17-point deficit to defeat the Detroit Lions during Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.
They came back from that deficit not only because the Lions completely collapsed, but also because quarterback Brock Purdy delivered a masterful come-from-behind performance in the second half to put the 49ers ahead.
While many are still doubting that Purdy is an elite or at least a near-elite QB, perhaps the national media is just starting to come around.
In fact, James Jones praised Purdy so much on Fox Sports 1’s “Speak” that he said head coach Kyle Shanahan shouldn’t deserve credit for Sunday’s win.
“Every big play in this football game that Brock Purdy made was off script,” Jones said.
.@89JonesNTAF: Kyle Shanahan doesn’t get any credit; this was all Brock Purdy. pic.twitter.com/vJgF8M5F5j
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) January 29, 2024
Purdy played a pretty bad first half, and at that time, it looked like the last player chosen in the 2022 draft was about to face an offseason full of question marks.
But he played outstanding football after halftime, and he continually moved the chains downfield without any real difficulty.
The Niners trailed 24-7 at halftime and finally got a score when Jake Moody converted a 43-yard field goal with 11:02 left in the third quarter, but it was another play that was the turning point.
About midway through the period, they were on their own 45-yard line when Purdy spotted wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk streaking downfield and threw the ball in his direction.
The ball bounced off the Lions’ Kindle Vildor and into Aiyuk’s hands, putting San Francisco on Detroit’s four-yard line, and Aiyuk scored a touchdown shortly afterward off a pinpoint pass from Purdy that could’ve easily been intercepted had it come a split-second too late.
It was their second come-from-behind win after trailing by at least seven points in the second half, and it thus answered a lot of questions about Purdy’s ability to generate such victories and not merely be a “game-manager.”
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Trey Lance Reacts To 49ers Winning NFC Championship