Brock Purdy has an opportunity in front of him. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback suffered his first regular-season loss on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Now, he has a chance to show everyone how he responds to setbacks.
This scenario isn't entirely unfamiliar for the young quarterback. Purdy suffered a UCL tear during the NFC Championship Game last season, a setback that required surgery and an arduous rehabilitation. Nonetheless, Purdy demonstrated unwavering determination, returning to the practice field ahead of schedule and taking the field alongside his teammates for Week 1.
Offseason doubts lingered about how Purdy would perform once he returned to the field. Would we see the same quarterback who took the NFL world by storm last season, or would he struggle with his surgically repaired elbow?
Remarkably, Purdy flourished in the first five games of the season. Even in the face of his toughest outing yet, against the Browns on Sunday, the 49ers were still a missed field goal away from remaining undefeated.
Now, Purdy finds himself in a position to demonstrate that Week 6 was an aberration and that he can bounce back from his first poor performance, silencing even his most outspoken critics.
"It's actually a great opportunity this week for Brock to now take, with everyone going, 'Wow, what was that?' and then go on the road and change that ... narrative," Young said Wednesday on KNBR's "Tolbert and Copes" show. "Like, now I know that he can come back from a bad game. We haven't seen that yet."
Until Sunday, Purdy's only taste of defeat came in the NFC Championship Game, where he sustained his injury early. A full offseason passed before he had to step back onto the gridiron. Purdy will undoubtebly encounter more losses in his career. We'll soon learn how to responds to such adversity.
"So it's all the scars that are coming, and then fighting through them and thriving despite it, is what needs to happen," Young continued. "Everybody wants to decide it right now. And the fact is, you don't know, I don't know, and Brock doesn't know. We've got to go through it together, and we'll know it when we see it.
"But so far, we should make a movie out of it. So far, it's like the last guy drafted is killing it in the NFL. Let's make a movie out of it."
Purdy's 49ers are favored by 6.5 points heading into Monday night's matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. The team will hold its first practice of the week this afternoon, followed by Friday and Saturday sessions before traveling to Minneapolis.
Purdy has completed 110 of 163 pass attempts (67.5 percent) for 1,396 yards with 10 touchdowns and an interception through six starts with the 49ers this season.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Young below.
