SANTA CLARA, Calif. \u2014 The most important run of the night may not have been by Christian McCaffrey<\/a>. Or Deebo Samuel<\/a>. Or even by George Kittle<\/a> on one of his epic catch-and-runs.<\/p>\n Nope. It was probably by the game manager. The most momentum-seizing, back-breaking, Lions<\/a>-taming runs, a case could be made, were by Brock Purdy<\/a>, the conductor of a 17-point comeback in the San Francisco 49ers\u2019 34-31 win Sunday<\/a> over Detroit in the NFC Championship Game.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m blocking my man, and next thing I know I hear screaming,\u201d left guard Aaron Banks<\/a> said from the party in the 49ers<\/a> locker room at Levi\u2019s Stadium after the game. \u201cAnd Brock is 20 yards downfield.\u201d<\/p>\n One candidate was Purdy\u2019s 21-yard scramble on second-and-11 in the third quarter. He took off up the middle and turned on his baby burners to get away from Lions defensive back Brian Branch<\/a>. Two plays after the defense forced a turnover, Purdy had the 49ers first-and-goal at Detroit\u2019s 4-yard line. McCaffrey finished the drive with a 1-yard score to tie the game at 24.<\/p>\n Purdy takes off for 21 yards!<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcfa: #DETvsSF<\/a> on FOX \u2014 NFL (@NFL) January 29, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Purdy\u2019s scamper was symbolic of the 49ers\u2019 aggressive mood. Red-zone issues wouldn\u2019t get in the way this time. A field goal wasn\u2019t an option.<\/p>\n He might\u2019ve scored himself if not for Samuel.<\/p>\n \u201cHe ran right into me and bounced off,\u201d Samuel said. \u201cI feel like if I would\u2019ve made that block, he probably would\u2019ve scored.\u201d<\/p>\n Another candidate was Purdy\u2019s breathtaking scramble on the first play of the next drive. McCaffrey missed the block on blitzing Detroit safety Ifeatu Melifonwu. But Purdy ducked beneath what would\u2019ve been an 8-yard sack on first down, spun to his left and scooted towards the sidelines. Before getting tackled, he threw a laser along the sidelines to Kyle Juszczyk<\/a> for a toe-tapping first down. It was the first play on the drive that produced the go-ahead field goal. It was the first sign Purdy was in his bag.<\/p>\n Purdy magic in full effect \ud83e\ude84<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcfa: #DETvsSF<\/a> on FOX \u2014 NFL (@NFL) January 29, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Another option, maybe the best one, was his third-and-4 run on what amounted to the game-winning drive to send the 49ers to the Super Bowl against Kansas City<\/a>. With just under five minutes left, and the 49ers just across midfield, Detroit was desperate for a stop. But Purdy stepped up in the pocket and took off again. He escaped the grasp of Lions sack specialist Aidan Hutchinson<\/a>, slipped the diving clutches of linebacker Jack Campbell<\/a>, and outran linebacker Alex Anzalone<\/a> to the edge.<\/p>\n After turning up the field, weaving into open space, Purdy didn\u2019t slide. He dove head first. Because he wanted every yard. Because scared money don\u2019t make money. Because championships aren\u2019t won with passivity.<\/p>\n Brock Purdy keeps on doing damage with his legs!<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcfa: #DETvsSF<\/a> on FOX \u2014 NFL (@NFL) January 29, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Purdy has been typecast by many as the prototypical game manager. A passenger more than a driver. A beneficiary more than a benefactor. A loss preventer more than a victory retriever. The game manager label is basically a pejorative in modern quarterback discourse.<\/p>\n But Sunday, the 49ers needed something more. Their season was on the line. Their championship hopes were slipping away.<\/p>\n Purdy became who they needed him to be: a playmaker, a difference maker. In the second half, he was 13-for-16 passing for 174 yards and a touchdown. No interceptions. His 49 rushing yards was the best evidence he wasn\u2019t merely a passenger in this historic comeback. He was driving.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought it was the difference between winning and losing,\u201d head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Purdy\u2019s scrambling. \u201cHe made some big plays with his legs, getting out of the pocket, moving the chains on some first downs, some explosives. He competed his ass off today. Wasn\u2019t easy for any of us. He kept grinding. He was unbelievable there in the second half.\u201d<\/p>\n In the NFC divisional round, Purdy overcame his struggles to come up clutch on the final drive<\/a>, marching the 49ers to the game-winning score. He one-upped himself for the NFC title, leading San Francisco from 17 points down.<\/p>\n He orchestrated a run of 27 points over five consecutive drives, flipping the script on the Lions.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I\u2019m down 17 at half,\u201d Purdy said, \u201chonestly I\u2019m thinking, \u2018Alright God. You\u2019ve taken me here. Win or lose, I\u2019m gonna glorify you.\u2019 That\u2019s my peace. That\u2019s the joy. That\u2019s the steadfastness. That\u2019s where I get it from. That\u2019s the honest truth.\u201d<\/p>\n Detroit had a significant hand in its own demise. Dropping passes. Passing on field goals in favor of pride and pattern. Purdy made sure all their misdeeds were punished.<\/p>\n It was more than enough to add some texture to the debate about Purdy. At least to give his detractors pause. At least to recognize the possibility his ceiling might be even higher than his halo. He may not be on the level of the probable MVP Lamar Jackson<\/a> or uber-talented Josh Allen<\/a>. Joe Burrow<\/a> and Justin Herbert<\/a> are more coveted talents.<\/p>\n But Purdy isn\u2019t home.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have enough good things to say about Brock,\u201d McCaffrey said. \u201cAll he\u2019s done since he\u2019s been here is play at an elite level. And everything starts with him. We\u2019re lucky he\u2019s our quarterback. He takes a lot of heat for absolutely no reason. All he\u2019s done is been a great leader and a great player.\u201d<\/p>\n Purdy doesn\u2019t have a big arm. Or the blazing athleticism. His inexperience shows up at times. His accuracy can abandon him. He\u2019s had enough interceptions dropped to convince you he must be living right. He put up some astounding statistics, throwing his name into the MVP conversations, but he\u2019s also had some moments to make the thought of him winning the league\u2019s highest honors a bit ridiculous.<\/p>\n All of that was evident in the first half on Sunday. It was the version of Purdy so easy to question, to scoff at when mentioned with the elite. He completed just 47 percent of his passes the first two quarters \u2014 including an interception that set up a Detroit touchdown \u2014 and missed several other throws. The potent 49ers offense, against a vulnerable defense, mustered just seven first-half points.<\/p>\n The entire Bay Area was asking to speak to the manager.<\/p>\n That\u2019s when Purdy emerged. The young man with a wholesome smile, responsible attire and at-your-service humility.<\/p>\n \u201cMy faith never wavered,\u201d 49ers safety Tashaun Gipson Sr.<\/a> said of his quarterback. \u201cI\u2019ve been saying it all year. You\u2019ve got a guy like that who can control the game, who knows where to go and when to go with the ball. I\u2019m happy he\u2019s on my team. I\u2019ll tell y\u2019all that. I never worry. When Purdy needs to put up points, that\u2019s when he\u2019s at his best.\u201d<\/p>\n What pulled the 49ers through was the immeasurables of Purdy. The gunslinger mentality. The mid-major resolve. The Mr. Irrelevant chip on his shoulder. The little guy toughness.<\/p>\n Like that heart-stopping throw to Jauan Jennings<\/a> on third-and-4 with the 49ers down 17. Purdy scrambled, stopped short of the line of scrimmage and threw a pass across his body to the middle. It was more like an alley-oop, and Jennings needed all of his 6-foot-3 frame and 6-foot-4 wingspan to snag the one-handed catch and keep the drive alive. It was Patrick Mahomesian.<\/p>\n But most of all, the heart. Purdy isn\u2019t afraid of the pressure. He can look rattled sometimes, but not enough to shake him into a shell. His will to win took over Sunday.<\/p>\n The play of the game, his deep chuck to Brandon Aiyuk<\/a>, was him being the opposite of a game manager. With the 49ers down two touchdowns, and after the defense had just come up with a massive turnover on downs, Purdy wasn\u2019t looking to play it safe.<\/p>\n He was trying to make a play. He sensed they needed something big and he went for it.<\/p>\n AIYUK UNBELIEVABLE!<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcfa: #DETvsSF<\/a> on FOX \u2014 NFL (@NFL) January 29, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cIn that moment,\u201d Purdy said, \u201cI\u2019m looking at it like we need a play. I\u2019m not going to be stupid and just throw the ball up. But B.A. is one-on-one. I\u2019ma take that opp. Especially in this kind of game. We needed that kind of play. So people can say what they want, but I was giving my guy a shot.\u201d<\/p>\n The Lions had a single safety who was hovering in the middle of the field. When Samuel cut on a crossing route, the safety went with him. That left Aiyuk one-on-one with Detroit cornerback Kindle Vildor.<\/p>\n \u201cI seen it live,\u201d Samuel said. \u201cI seen the guy cut the high cross that I was running and I just looked up and Brock cut it loose.\u201d<\/p>\n Purdy is here, and not Jimmy Garoppolo<\/a>, because the 49ers can\u2019t win the Super Bowl without a quarterback capable and willing to hit the deep ball. For all his success, Garoppolo\u2019s hesitancy to throw downfield, even if created by Shanahan\u2019s hesitancy to call for longer throws, put a ceiling on the 49ers\u2019 offense. They drafted Trey Lance<\/a> looking to get more dynamic.<\/p>\n They ended up with Purdy, who can scramble and push the ball downfield.<\/p>\n\n
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\n Brock Purdy did it with his legs as well as arm Sunday, rushing for 49 key second-half yards to help spark the 49ers\u2019 comeback over the Lions. (Thearon W. Henderson \/ Getty Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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