49ers quarterback Brock Purdy made the decision to do one thing after the NFC Championship Game, no matter how things may have gone after a 24-7 halftime deficit on Sunday.
“When I’m down 17 at half, [I prayed], ‘all right, God, you’ve taken me here, win or lose I’m going to glorify you,’” Purdy told reporters after a 34-31 comeback win over the Detroit Lions.
“That’s my peace, that is the joy, the steadfastness.”
“That is where I get it from. That is the honest truth. I leaned into that. Sure enough, we were able to come back,” Purdy added.
San Francisco came all the way back in the third quarter alone with 17 unanswered points. Purdy did his part with a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who ignited the 49ers two players earlier on a 51-yard connection.
For Purdy, he couldn’t see everything that happened on that deep shot to Aiyuk in the third quarter with the team trailing 24-10. Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor tipped the ball, and Aiyuk came down with it as the referee responded with an initial call.
“Yeah I saw the flag go up for sure,” Purdy said. “Then I heard the whole stadium erupt. I see B.A. curled up around the ball. Oh, my gosh, he caught that. After that, we’re all jogging down. I’m like, ‘dang’. We’re all trying to figure out if he scored or not, got touched.”
“When I saw him catch that, I was like, ‘that’s insane’. At the end of the day, like I said, I was just trying to give him an opp, man. Huge play, one on one, we need a play, explosive. Here is one of our best receivers to go down and make a clutch play for us.”
San Francisco advanced to the Super Bowl with the victory, and the 49ers will face the Kansas City Chiefs next on February 11.
Brock Purdy: ‘I Think it’s a Testament to God’
Purdy hasn’t shied away from talking about his faith at the podium, and he credited God for his improbable journey from the last pick in the NFL Draft to Super Bowl quarterback.
“Yeah, honestly, I think it’s a testament to God and where He’s taken me in life,” Purdy said. “I’ve never been the biggest, fastest, strongest, any of that.”
A 6-foot-1, 220-pound quarterback, out of Arizona, Purdy took a chance in college by passing offers from traditional powers Alabama and Texas A&M. Instead, he chose Iowa State where he played 48 career games and shined amid 12,170 passing yards and 81 touchdowns.
It didn’t translate to the NFL Draft process as Purdy nearly missed getting picked until the 49ers took him with the final selection — known as Mr. Irrelevant. Then, it took injuries to former 49ers quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo in 2022 for Purdy to see the field as a rookie.
“I feel like I’ve always had to sort of fight for what I get, work for what I get. But God’s always given me an opportunity, whether that was in high school, college, then obviously in the NFL,” Purdy added.
“Getting drafted last, people overlook you, that kind of stuff. All you need is an opportunity and watch and see what He does,” Purdy said. “I put my faith and trust in Him. He’s gotten me to where I’m at.”
Off the field, Purdy lives his faith amid church involvement and serving in the community. He also — albeit indirectly — revealed that he doesn’t live with his fiance, Jenna Brandt. Instead, Purdy lives with 49ers offensive lineman Nick Zakelj.
Because of Brandt, Purdy could land two rings in the next two months with a Super Bowl win followed by their wedding in March.
