The San Francisco 49ers will be appearing in their second Super Bowl in the last 5 years, but will be the first time with quarterback Brock Purdy under center. Since being drafted with the last pick in the 2022 NFL draft, Purdy has stepped up and delivered as the 49er’s starter. Leading all quarterbacks who played at least 5 games in passer rating for the 2023 regular season.
Former NFL Star Eli Manning Gives His Thoughts on Brock Purdy and the 49ers Season
Eli Manning, who won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants in his 16-year career gave his thoughts on Purdy and his play so far since being drafted as “Mr. Irrelevant.”.Ezoic
“I think he has a lot of faith in the system. I think he has a lot of faith in his receivers and players, that he’s going to throw the ball on time and they are going to be in those spots. So, I think he’s done an incredible job. He’s still a young quarterback in his second year, but he’s won a lot of football games. He’s won some clutch football games, especially these past couple weeks. Being down, in the playoffs and rallying the team back for wins.
Manning delivered success in his career and comes from a family of legendary quarterbacks, including his brother Peyton Manning and his father Archie. So, hearing praise from a quarterback that successful holds value. Purdy has not been perfect throughout these playoffs, but Manning is not wrong when talking about San Francisco winning clutch football games.
Purdy and the 49ers Have Trailed in Both Playoff Games Leading up to Super Bowl
While Purdy and the 49ers ended the regular season as the top seed in the NFC with a 12-5 record, they have dealt with adversity to make it to the Super Bowl. In the divisional round, they defeated the Green Bay Packers by 3 points after trailing for most of regulation.
The struggles did not stop after the divisional round. In next week’s NFC Championship versus the Detroit Lions, they were down 24-7 going into the halftime locker room. Purdy and his arsenal of weapons managed to score 27 unanswered points and came back to win the game with a score of 34-31. If San Francisco wants to defeat Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in this year’s Super Bowl, their mistakes early on need to be limited.