What 49ers QB Purdy learned from ‘heartbreaking’ Super Bowl loss originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Brock Purdy left his heart on the field against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium, but it wasn’t enough to help the 49ers escape a 25-22 overtime loss.
About two months later, the 24-year-old is still thinking about what he could have done differently or what he could have taken to help lead San Francisco to its sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Purdy, entering his second full NFL season as the 49ers’ starter, took time off Monday reflect on the game with reporters.
“Yeah, I think it’s a really important game,” Purdy said. “Everything is magnified. Each piece can be the piece. So, going back, I could have done better here with my eyes or with my feet and with that read and make that play. There are a handful of parts. So for me, it’s like, damn, I could have been better and I want to be better the next time we get into that position and be ready for those opportunities when they come.
“And that goes back to what I said, just in terms of my fundamentals and little details. If I could do that in the big moment, then we would make the right play and get the first down and obviously, whatever, time management clock, score management, touchdowns, those things translate. So that’s where I am. When I watch it, I’m sincere.”
Purdy chooses to analyze Super Bowl LVIII by focusing on the fundamentals rather than getting caught up in the valid but disturbing emotions of the dreaded night of February 11th.
Understandably, losing a Super Bowl is a devastating experience, but Purdy knows that being stuck in the moment forever won’t solve any of San Francisco’s problems, especially as it looks to get back to the big game.
“Obviously, I wish I could have won the game, won the Super Bowl and won a championship for this organization, but it happens,” Purdy added. “For me it’s like, okay, I have to learn from this, really learn from this. It’s not like defining emotion, putting emotions and feelings and stuff aside, like remembering that, but let’s be honest about the film and get better with it.
“There are many things we can learn and grow from. So that’s what comes to mind when I watch it.”
Purdy finished his Super Bowl debut by throwing 23 of 38 for 255 yards and a 10-yard touchdown to wide receiver Jauan Jennings. While it was far from Purdy’s best game, it wasn’t even close to being his worst.
The same can be said of other 49ers, who ended up losing in overtime – and San Francisco was in the game until the end.
As Thursday’s 2024 NFL Draft approaches, the 49ers would be wise to live in the present. Purdy answered whether he and his San Francisco teammates still talk about the game or choose to leave it in the past.
“Yeah, I think both,” the Iowa State product admitted. “You go through such a long year. It’s like a marathon with these camp guys, offseason stuff, all through the preseason and then throughout the year and you’re playing football from, say, August until February. So, you go through a lot with these guys. So you have all these feelings and emotions.
“You invest so much in this, you get to the final game and then you lose in overtime. So for all of us it’s like, damn, at the moment it’s heartbreaking, but that’s the nature of the sport you play.”
There is no turning back for San Francisco. Instead, Purdy believes the 49ers must embrace their battle scars and go back to the drawing board in an attempt to return to glory.
And Purdy, who has the trust of your teammatesis ready to get back to business in the Bay.
“At the end of the day, we all love this game and we all have a passion for it,” Purdy said. “But when we’re watching film and we want to get better, you have to put those things aside and watch it for what it is. What are the training points? What are the fundamentals you need to follow and execute? So that’s what I mean when I talk about it.
“But when I see the guys in the locker room and stuff, again, obviously we’ve been through some things together, but that’s the love that you have, like we were at war together and now we can do it again. So that gets you excited.
Purdy wants “it” as much as anyone and can’t wait to get back to work.
