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The Brock Purdy naysayers were patting themselves on the back until the closing minutes of Saturday's Divisional Playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers. Until that point, Purdy and the offense struggled to establish a rhythm in what turned out to be a closer-than-expected showdown between the first and seventh seeds in the NFC.
Purdy helped engineer a game-winning 12-play, 69-yard drive that concluded with a six-yard touchdown run by Christian McCaffrey. During that final drive, Purdy completed six of his seven pass attempts, showcasing his playmaking ability with a clutch third-down completion to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and a nine-yard run that set up McCaffrey's score.
Purdy finished the game 23 of 39 for 252 yards and one touchdown, showing his critics that he is capable of late-game heroics.
"He is one of the sole reasons we're in this position that we are in today," tackle Trent Williams said in a post-game interview with FOX Sports Radio's Aaron Torres and Jason Martin. "We have so much confidence in him. He's such a good quarterback, such a good kid, such a good teammate."
The 49ers beat the Packers 24-21, advancing to the NFC Championship Game for the third consecutive season. Trailing 21-17 late in the fourth quarter, Purdy's teammates exhibited unwavering confidence in the second-year quarterback's ability to lead a comeback.
"I had zero doubt that he would make the plays that we needed to get us down the field," Williams added.
It's not just the offensive players who believe in Purdy's ability to move the team down the field during crucial moments. While defensive end Nick Bosa admits it's terrible watching from the sideline, feeling powerless when the offense is out there, he added, "But I definitely have faith in [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and everybody on our offense to get it done."
The 49ers will host the NFC Championship Game at Levi's Stadium for the first time since the 2019 season. Reflecting on Saturday's performance against the Packers, Williams acknowledged the need for improvement down the stretch.
"We obviously got to play better than we did today, but we just got to keep fighting," Williams said. "And obviously, next week will be even harder of a game, no matter who we get. Whether it's Detroit or Tampa, it's going to be another dogfight. But what more would you want when you're trying to accomplish the end-all goal?
"You're so much more thankful for it when you earn it, and we had to go and earn this one, and I'm pretty sure we'll have to go earn the next one. So the whole goal is to get into that big dance, and we got another opportunity to do it."
5 reasons why 49ers QB Brock Purdy will be better in 2024
By Marc Adams
Apr 20
The San Francisco 49ers appear to have found their quarterback. It was a bumpy road on the journey to locate him, too. There was the up-and-down tenure of Jimmy Garoppolo, whose relationship with Head Coach Kyle Shanahan seemed dysfunctional, at times. Then there was the short-lived Trey Lance experiment.
Garoppolo and Lance are no longer being with the team, and one major reason is the emergence of Brock Purdy as the team's QB. Purdy finished his second season with a trip to the Super Bowl, after having a Pro Bowl season in which he finished with 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also led the league in multiple statistics, including passer rating (113.0) and QBR (72.8). Additionally, Purdy finished fourth in NFL MVP voting.
But a year ago, no one knew what to
49ers add potential Trent Williams successor in latest NFL.com mock draft
By David Bonilla
Apr 23
Trent Williams will be 36 at the start of the 2024 NFL season. While retirement isn't on his mind just yet, the San Francisco 49ers must consider a succession plan for left tackle.
NFL Media's Bucky Brooks unveiled his final mock draft, projecting the San Francisco 49ers to select former Arizona offensive tackle Jordan Morgan with the No. 31 overall pick as their eventual replacement for Williams.
"With Trent Williams entering the twilight of his career, the 49ers have to find an eventual replacement on the edge," Brooks noted. "Morgan is a sound blocker at the point of attack with diverse skills
How Brandon Aiyuk reacted to 49ers drafting Ricky Pearsall; New WR exited to play with Brock Purdy
By David Bonilla
Apr 25
New San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was a teammate of Brandon Aiyuk for one season (2019) at Arizona State. It was Aiyuk's final season with the Sun Devils and Pearsall's first, before transferring to Florida after the 2021 season.
Now, the two are teammates again after the 49ers selected Pearsall with the No. 31 overall pick.
Speaking to reporters after the first round, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed that they received a text from Aiyuk after the pick was made.
"Fire pick. Can't lie," Aiyuk said in the text, much to Lynch and Shanahan's delight.
Shortly after hearing his name called, Pearsall spoke to reporters via Zoom and was asked about his relationship with Aiyuk.
"We
What Brock Purdy told Ricky Pearsall; New 49ers WR models play after Brandon Aiyuk
By David Bonilla
Apr 26
New San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall arrived in Santa Clara this morning, ready to tour his new NFL home before speaking with the media. Pearsall briefly spoke to reporters via Zoom on Thursday night after learning that the 49ers had selected him as the No. 31 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. During that conversation, he revealed that he had once played against Brock Purdy in high school, acknowledging that the now-49ers quarterback had put up about 70 points against his team.
Pearsall had an opportunity to speak to Purdy after learning they had become teammates.
"He just reached out to me this morning, just congratulating me, saying, 'We're going to get to work,'" Pearsall shared. "... We're gonna get to work, for sure. And he's from Arizona,
