PHILADELPHIA − Brock Purdy might be considered a surprise to many as the San Francisco 49ers quarterback went from the last player drafted last spring − the so-called “Mr. Irrelevant” − to the third-string quarterback with the 49ers when the season began.
Yet here Purdy is now, starting in the NFC championship game against the Eagles on Sunday, with a trip to the Super Bowl resting in the balance, after leading the 49ers to the last seven of their 12 straight victories.
This has all the makings of the ultimate Cinderella story, considering that when the season started, it was another rookie, Trey Lance, who was going to be the franchise quarterback. Lance was picked No. 3 overall last spring, or 259 spots before Purdy.
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The 49ers also had Jimmy Garoppolo, the former franchise quarterback who had taken the 49ers to the Super Bowl just three years ago, as the backup.
Both suffered season-ending injuries − Lance, a broken ankle in September; and Garoppolo, a foot injury in December.
But there are three Eagles, including quarterback Jalen Hurts, who have already seen Purdy’s potential firsthand.
That goes back to an epic game during Hurts’ senior season in 2019 when he played for Oklahoma, and Purdy, then a sophomore, played for Iowa State.
That Nov. 9, it appeared that Hurts and the heavily favored No. 9 Sooners would cruise. Hurts was masterful in the first half as Oklahoma built a 42-21 lead late in the third quarter.
But Purdy and the Cyclones come roaring back. Purdy threw a potential game-tying touchdown pass with 24 seconds left. Iowa State decided to go for the 2-point conversion and came up short when Purdy threw an interception.
Oklahoma walked off the field with a 42-41 win.
“It was a good game, glad we won,” Hurts said Wednesday. “I have a lot of respect for him. He’s always been a really good player, has a lot of moxie. He makes plays. And he’s been doing that since college, so there’s no surprise when he was given this opportunity, to see the success he’s having now.”
Call him ‘Mr. Relevant’
Defensive end Matt Leo, who’s on the Eagles’ practice squad, spent three seasons with Purdy at Iowa State. He said he has no idea why Purdy wasn’t drafted until the very last pick.
“They should call him ‘Mr. Relevant,'” Leo said with a laugh. “It always seemed like he was cool, calm and collected. It’s his nature. I remember when he came in straight out of high school. He was already working out before the semester even started.
“Seeing that kind of competitive nature in him, I kind of knew what he was going to bring to the team.”
Purdy became a starter as a true freshman and had his best season as a sophomore, throwing for 3,982 yards and 31 TDs. That season, Hurts finished second in the Heisman voting, leading the Sooners to the college football playoffs. Hurts threw for 3,851 yards and ran for 1,298 more.
So Leo had his own worries trying to stop Hurts. On that day, Hurts completed 18 of 26 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 68 yards rushing on 22 carries with two touchdowns. That’s 341 total yards and five TDs.
“He’s got a lot of tricks,” Leo said about chasing after Hurts that day. “He’s just an escape artist. You know if you pressure him, everybody’s got to be (in their lanes). Otherwise, he can make plays.”
Leo was then asked if that has carried over to the NFL, now that he has to chase Hurts in practice.
“Even more so,” Leo said. “He’s still the quiet, humble competitor that he is. He can make plays right away; his ability to make plays last. He has almost like a backup plan.”
Purdy was every bit as impressive. He went 19-for-30 for 282 yards and five TDs. Purdy added 55 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown. So that’s 337 total yards and six TDs.
Eagles running back Trey Sermon played for Oklahoma that day, although he left in the second quarter with a torn knee ligament, so he said he doesn’t remember much from that game.
But Sermon was a third-round pick of the 49ers in 2021 and spent the spring practices and training camp with them before he was waived and picked up by the Eagles.
“He can make plays happen with his feet,” Sermon said. “He did a good job of extending plays back then. I saw him get better and better. Then just seeing him throughout camp and OTAs in San Fran as well. I knew he’d be a good quarterback if he got his opportunity.”
Over the final five regular-season games, Purdy threw for 1,374 yards, completed 67.1% of his passes, with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions. His passer rating was 107.3, which would have led the NFL if he had played in enough games to qualify.
Projected over a full 17-game season, Purdy would have thrown for 4,671 yards. That would have ranked him fourth, behind Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Tom Brady.
It’s no wonder Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni called Purdy “a winner.” And Sirianni was also familiar with Purdy long before he reached the NFL.
Putting together an MVP year
That’s because Sirianni was teammates with Iowa State coach Matt Campbell in college at Mount Union, and when they would talk, Campbell would rave about Purdy.
“Obviously, I always follow Iowa State and their program because I have so many college teammates and roommates that coach there,” Sirianni said. “You saw what (Purdy) did for that program. I (would) check the score; Purdy had an awesome game, and they won again. He’s a winner.”
Hurts is too. Combined, Hurts and Purdy are 22-1 in games they have started this season.
Hurts was named an MVP finalist by the Associated Press on Wednesday, along with Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
It’s easy to see why.
Hurts threw for 3,701 yards with 22 touchdowns and six INTs and a completion percentage of 66.5%. Hurts’ passer rating of 101.5 ranks fourth. Hurts also has 760 yards rushing with 13 TDs.
“It’s just a cool honor,” Hurts said about being a finalist. “Don’t really have much to say about it. I’m at a loss for words, to be honest.”
Hurts prefers to let his play do his talking, much as he and Purdy did three-plus years ago.
Purdy threw three TD passes in that 20-point fourth quarter, going 5-for-9 for 90 yards. He also added 36 yards rushing in that period.
“He’s always looking downfield,” Campbell told reporters that day. “He’s always trying to extend plays. You’ve got the guy one-on-one, and he makes you miss. All of a sudden, it’s a critical throw, and he throws the ball on the money. Some people just have that, and he does.
“He’s going to get better and better.”
But it was Hurts’ interception late in the fourth quarter that led to Iowa State’s potential game-winning touchdown.
After the game, Hurts told The Oklahoman what was going through his mind as he watched Purdy’s pass into the end zone for the 2-point conversion. The pass was intended for Charlie Kolar, but it was intercepted by Parnell Motley.
“Putting (the defense) in that situation and not converting on third down when we had success all of the first half,” Hurts said that day. “I take it under myself, under my wing, to do my job and execute to the best of my abilities and get the job done and we didn’t.
“But we had each other’s back.”
Just as the Eagles do for Hurts and the 49ers for Purdy.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
