Purdy Details NFL Warning on 49ers’ NFC Title Game vs. Lions originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
With the 49ers’ 2023 NFL season on the line in NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions, Brock Purdy came to an important realization.
San Francisco was just one win away from a trip to Super Bowl LVIII, but the team was down 17 points at halftime, where Purdy reflected on what the mindset would be for the second half.
“All I remember is it was like, ‘Alright, just one play at a time, man.’ And everyone believed it,” Purdy said during a 49ers QBs panel at the Dwight Clark Legacy Series event Thursday night at San Jose’s California Theater. “We had the guys to do it, but I remember the first play of the second half, I played for Deebo [Samuel] on a 20-yard route and from that moment on, I was like, ‘OK, that’s us. We have to play like us.
“And long story short, [we] I scored touchdowns to come back, the defense came through, I made some crucial stops, and then I remember there was a drive at the end, I fought for the first down, I got the first one, and after that, Christian [McCaffrey] I had a good run and I think Elijah Mitchell nailed it. But at that moment I thought, ‘Man, this is a football team.’ He’s not just a guy who puts the entire team on his shoulders. It takes everyone. Everyone in the organization.
“And at that moment I thought this isn’t easy. This is hard. The NFL is hard. Getting to the Super Bowl, doing all those things you want to do. There’s going to be those crazy, nasty wins. So that’s what comes to mind how hard it is – but man, is it worth it.”
Brock Purdy shares what was going through his mind as the 49ers rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit in the NFC Championship Game pic.twitter.com/gYuksw4u5x
– 49ers on NBCS (@ NBCS49ers) May 17, 2024
The NFC title game was a tale of two halves.
From offensive struggles to defensive inconsistencies, the game scored 180 points midway through.
And after Purdy threw a deep pass to 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who was tied up with Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor but still managed to swing and hold the ball, the young quarterback – and the rest of the 49ers Faithful at Levi’s Stadium – – felt a shift in momentum in the win-or-go-home game.
Purdy and the 49ers continued to build on that momentum and ultimately pulled off the unimaginable victory that became a memory Purdy will never forget.
