The San Francisco 49ers are back in the NFC Championship Game with quarterback Brock Purdy under center.
But even despite Purdy’s success this year, questions about his viability as a franchise quarterback remain after a few stretches of bad play this year – especially this past week in the NFC divisional round win over the Green Bay Packers.
Purdy looked shaky at times but delivered the win for San Francisco in the end with a crucial touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
That moment proved to The Athletic’s David Lombardi that Purdy is good enough to lead the 49ers to key wins down the stretch despite Purdy’s many detractors.
“He answered the bell,” Lombardi said while on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “He showed every single part of his game and he showed why he’s been rated so well this year. … To me, the problem is the goalposts keep on moving.”
“Brock Purdy answered the bell in the fourth quarter of a huge game..
The problem is the goalposts keep on moving”@LombardiHimself #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/4phryHuFUz
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 26, 2024
Purdy was, at one time this season, the favorite to win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award after he led one of the most successful offenses in the league.
There were times, though, where Purdy didn’t look nearly as confident as other top-tier quarterbacks under center, and it didn’t help that he was playing with arguably the best collection of skill players in the NFL.
If Purdy beats the Detroit Lions this weekend, that should silence the critics for a little while longer – especially if he leads San Francisco to another comeback win.
A Super Bowl victory would be the cherry on top after previous 49ers quarterbacks under Kyle Shanahan failed.
The Lions are no slouch, though, and have history on the line as well in the NFC title game.
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