49ers quarterback gives a candid look at the team's Super Bowl hopes and personal growth.
The San Francisco 49ers are back where they believe they belong, in January, playing meaningful football with a Super Bowl in sight.
After a season derailed by injuries a year ago that snapped their playoff streak for the first time since 2020, the 49ers have recalibrated and reemerged as a legitimate postseason threat.
Quarterback Brock Purdy, now firmly entrenched as the face of the franchise, recently spoke with Fox News Digital about what it means to be back on the NFL’s biggest stage, and why gratitude alone won’t be enough this time around.
“Obviously, we're grateful for it, but at the same time, it's like, man, we got to turn it up and have that chip on our shoulder to go on the road and find a way to win and be ready for whatever comes our way,” Purdy said. “Last year, how it went down and not making the playoffs, you never want that to happen. But for us, we’ve turned the page, we have a new team, and we have to find a way.”
The 49ers entered the final week of the regular season with a chance to secure the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed, but a home loss to the Seattle Seahawks forced them into a more difficult path.
Instead of resting, San Francisco now heads on the road, starting with a daunting matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Still, Purdy sees adversity as familiar territory rather than a deterrent.
“That was the goal last week, and we gave everything we had, but sometimes things don't go your way in the NFL,” Purdy said. “For us, it's all about bouncing back. We got to turn the page quickly and get it on to Philly, get our bodies right, mentally, be ready to roll on the road and find a way to get it done in four quarters.”
It’s a mindset that has defined Purdy’s NFL journey from the very beginning.
The former Iowa State quarterback entered the league as the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, buried on the depth chart and viewed as little more than a developmental flyer.
Three seasons later, he’s chasing his second Super Bowl appearance as a starter, a rise few could have predicted.
Purdy credits head coach Kyle Shanahan for much of that growth, citing the system, preparation, and trust that allowed him to play free and confident from day one. But the goals are no longer about defying expectations.
They’re about finishing the job.
“We respect them a lot,” Purdy said of the Eagles. “But we’re capable of going in and playing our way of ball and finding a way to get it done.”
For Purdy and the 49ers, the road may be harder this time. The hunger, however, might be stronger than ever.