49ers’ playoff run clouded by criticism from pundits and rivals

The San Francisco 49ers will play the Detroit Lions in their third straight NFC Championship Game and the fourth in five years. Instead of praising the number one seed of the NFC, many continue to offer criticism.

For most of the season, sports pundits and fans across the NFL praised the 49ers and called them front runners to be Super Bowl champions, but since the 33-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16, those same cheers turned to jeers.

Last week, before the 49ers played the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Playoff game, former Raiders CEO Amy Trask went on Bay Area radio station 95.7 The Game and said quarterback Brock Purdy was the worst quarterback left in the playoffs.

"Four games, eight quarterbacks. Seven terrific quarterbacks and Brock Purdy," Trask said. "Now, Brock Purdy is a good quarterback, make no mistake about it. Everybody be calm, Forty Niner fans. I'm not suggesting Brock's not a good quarterback. He is. I simply don't put him in the same category as the other quarterbacks."

What category is Trask talking about? If she is referring to the upper-echelon quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs was the only one left. Josh Allen and former league MVP Lamar Jackson may be All-Pro-caliber quarterbacks, but they still have much to prove.

Did Trask forget about Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield?

Houston Texans rookie quarterback CJ Stroud and Green Bay Packers first-year starter Jordan Love led their teams to the playoffs, apparently earning more credibility in Trask's eyes than the 49ers' quarterback making his second NFC Championship appearance.

The "IKE Packers Podcast" recently stated that Purdy's arm strength is questionable when he rolls out of the pocket.

After they posted this on social media, 49ers fans quickly pointed out the plays the second-year quarterback made when he rolled out.

Fans went to social media after the 49ers' 24-21 win over the Packers to remind the podcast about the post.

Former Packers backup quarterback Kurt Benkert stated that the better team lost Saturday's Divisional Playoff game, but the comment was met with backlash.

San Francisco and Green Bay have a playoff history where four games came down to the last drive, including the 1998 Wild Card matchup that saw the 49ers emerge with a 30-27 victory.

The 49ers will play the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, January 28.

• Written by:
  Sasha D. Robinson
  Sports has been my first love since I was 12 years old. At one point I wanted to play football professionally. I started to take photography as a hobby in my teenage years but this was when I followed sports. I started to listen to sports radio, I found my true calling and it was to be a sports talk show host. Though I follow football and basketball, I started to have a new love of cultures around the world. After graduating from San Antonio College in 2018, I worked for the Castroville News Bulletin before going to A&M San Antonio to get my communications degree. Since I have written for the Ranger of San Antonio College, the News Bulletin and the Mesquite of Texas A&M San Antonio, I met many people and went to a lot of events. My major milestone was being in the press box of the San Antonio Commanders game for the Mesquite and being apart of a press conference with the Medina County Sheriff and other local news outlets. When I am not doing anything, I like to watch old cartoons on the DC Universe, play video games such as Mega Man and the Mass Effect series. I have also created Youtube channel called "Anger Management" with my friend Aaron Donnell.
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