Why was Brock Purdy so successful? 49ers’ George Kittle tells all

The San Francisco 49ers had a fantastic season, going all the way to the NFC championship game this year.

What made their playoff run so impressive was getting so far with their third-string quarterback. The team suffered injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo and entered Week 14 with their third-string rookie, Brock Purdy.

The rookie sensation led the team to the NFC championship game before getting injured in a 31-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tight end George Kittle has talked about how impressed he was with Purdy and the great season he had. Appearing on Kay Adams' show, Kittle detailed that Purdy's confidence is what led to his successful season:

"What made it click was his confidence in his ability. Like, he wasn't worried there was no, I mean, he has pressure on him, right? He's a quarterback for the 49ers, he's Mr. Irrelevant and, like, there's not, you know, first-overall-pick talent, like, that type of pressure, but, like, OK, hey, it's only, like, you have to play at a high level for us.

"He has his confidence to him in his own ability, but then just what made him successful is he played 48 games in college, right? Like, he was the starting quarterback. He knows how to do it. He knows what comes with it. I'm not saying that college, NFL, there's something, like, there's similarities, the same sport.

"Like, there's a lot of differences. The speed's a lot different. He's lost big games. He's won big games. He's had ups and downs. He's bounced back."

George Kittle said that the 49ers' starting QB job is Brock Purdy's to lose

NFC divisional playoffs: San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle

Kittle thinks very highly of Purdy. On Thursday, appearing on the "Voncast," hosted by Von Miller, Kittle said that the 49ers' starting QB job is Purdy's to lose:

"Trey Lance is still there, and, you know, Trey unfortunately has not really gotten a fair shot of being an NFL quarterback yet. You got a full rain game monsoon versus the Bears (in the season opener), and he got hurt in the second game. So, Trey still has plenty of talent. He just has to get out there and play.

"You can't talk (enough) about what Brock Purdy did. He's fantastic. Our offense was operating at the highest it's probably been since 2019, so, I mean, in my opinion, its's Brock's job to lose. But there will be competition, because Brock's gonna be out until training camp with his surgery. So, it's going to be interesting."

The team will enter the 2023 season with a decision to make regarding Lance and Purdy. Both are recovering from injuries suffered this season, but once healthy, it should be a good QB battle in San Francisco.

If you use any of the above quotes, please credit George Kittle, Up and Adams Show, and H/T Sportskeeda