The last time 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was in a playoff game he was relegated to handoff duty after a severe arm injury knocked him out of the NFC Championship Game. Ahead of Saturday’s game against the Green Bay Packers he’s sending a message to everyone.
Speaking to 49ersWebzone.com via ProFootballTalk, Purdy said he’s glad to be back in the playoffs after having a full year of games under his belt as opposed to last year when he was a midseason lineup insert.
“So those are all things that were sort of on my plate last year, and then obviously trying to win every single week and get this team to the end,” Purdy said. “And so now, I guess this year, just being more familiar with the offense, who I am and all that, it’s a little different. But it’s good to sort of watch the games from last year and sort of remember just the feeling and the emotions of playing in a playoff game. It’s good. It’s huge for me as a quarterback to go back to those moments and sort of remember what it feels like. So those are things that I’m sort of banking on.”
Despite concerns that he might need an entire year to recover from the injury, he was able to recover in time for the start of the season and wound up going 12-4 as a starter with 4,280 yards and 31 passing touchdowns.
Brock Purdy: I was trying to find my way last year, playoffs feel different this time. https://t.co/tXM6C1sbz5
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 18, 2024
The 49ers have homefield advantage throughout the playoffs for the second year in a row. But as the Green Bay Packers proved against the Dallas Cowboys, homefield advantage isn’t enough.
If Purdy wants to avenge last year’s loss and play in the Super Bowl, his first priority is going to have to be avoiding any injuries.