Brock Purdy gets hailed by 49ers fans after leading franchise to stunning 34-31 comeback win vs Lions - "Game manager my a**"

Brock Purdy will be competing for a Lombardi Trophy in just his second year in the NFL.

His San Francisco 49ers defeated the Detroit Lions 34-31 in Sunday's NFC Championship Game to reach Super Bowl LVIII - their second appearance in the Big Game since the head coach/general manager tandem of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch took over in 2017. And 2022's Mr. Irrelevant was a crucial piece in the comeback win, leading five straight scoring drives in the second half to erase a 7-24 deficit.

He finished with 20 of 31 passes completed for 267 yards and a touchdown to Brandon Aiyuk against an interception to Malcolm Rodriguez. After the game, fans of both the 49ers and the league in general praised Purdy. Some pointedly mocked former superstar Cam Newton, who had called him a mere "game manager" rather than "difference-maker" on an episode of his 4th & 1 podcast last month:

---

Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and 49ers' all-round performances chokes Lions in NFCCG

If one phrase can describe the San Francisco 49ers and Brock Purdy’s performance on Sunday, then it is “ground game”.

Helping the quarterback, who rushed five times for 48 yards, was running back Christian McCaffrey, who carried the ball 20 times for 90 yards and two touchdowns, while Elijah Mitchell also scored late in the fourth for a 34-24 lead.

Deebo Samuel led the way in the air with eight catches for 89 yards, while Brandon Aiyuk had three for 68, including Purdy’s only touchdown pass of the night. McCaffrey himself caught four for 14, while fullback Kyle Juszczyk and tight end George Kittle combined for 60 on four grabs between them.

On defense, Nick Bosa had two sacks, as the 49ers made some key stops in the second half, first forcing a punt as the third quarter neared its end, then a turnover on downs in the fourth, immediately leading to Mitchell’s touchdown on the ensuing drive. The Lions still had a chance to tie or win the game after a Jameson Williams score cut the deficit to 31-34, but they failed to recover the onside kick, ending the game.