San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy's opportunity in the NFL first came as a rookie in 2022, when starters Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo were both lost for the season due to injuries. All Purdy did was lead his team on a win streak that took the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game. The 49ers lost that game after Purdy tore his UCL.
The following season, Purdy led his team to the Super Bowl, but ultimately was unable to get the ball into the endzone in overtime of that game. San Francisco had to settle for a field goal, and the defense wasn't able to close the game out.
Some place the loss on Purdy. But the second-year QB left the field with the lead late in the fourth quarter, as well as in overtime. At a minimum, he put his team in position to be world champs. Still, there have been bad games and bad decisions that make people question if Purdy is capable of leading an injury-riddled team to a Super Bowl victory.
Matt Maiocco, of NBC Sports Bay Area, sat down with 49ers GM John Lynch this week and discussed whether Purdy is ready for the challenge of leading this team in some very big games that are coming up, including the postseason.
"I think he's ready for that," Lynch said. "You know, frankly, Brock has shown that from the very first game he went in beyond our expectations against the Miami Dolphins at home. And Brian Flores is known for bringing the kitchen sink, and he was in that game. And Brock stood in there, and never forget a throw he threw over the middle, an all-out blitz to George Kittle, and it just kind of was like, 'wow, that was an impressive play.' And I think Brock's ready for the moment."
The fact that he did it as a rookie was especially impressive. Young quarterbacks don't normally have that kind of poise. But Purdy has continued to play the same way since. He hasn't always been perfect, especially earlier in the season while playing through a turf toe injury. But since returning from the injury, Purdy has played at a very high level, topped off by his five-touchdown performance against the Indianapolis Colts on Monday night.
And Lynch is convinced his young QB can handle the pressure of big games.
"You know, he's calm in the face of pressure, in the face of chaos," Lynch added. "He can function at a high level, so I think we're very fortunate to have a guy like that at that position."
The 49ers square off against the Chicago Bears on Sunday night. If they can win this game, it will likely set up a huge game against the Seattle Seahawks the following week. That game could decide the NFC West, as well as determine who gets the number one seed in the NFC.
Watch Maiocco's entire interview with Lynch below.
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