(Photo by Gunnar Word/Getty Images)
The San Francisco 49ers are headed to the Super Bowl for the second time in five seasons, and they appear to have a significantly better team than they did the last time they went there, at least on paper.
One reason why is the play of quarterback Brock Purdy, who has gone from “Mr. Irrelevant” to an MVP candidate and one of the better players in the entire NFL.
He was at or near the top of the league in many statistical categories this season and led back-to-back comeback victories in the playoffs this month, yet plenty of people still refuse to give him credit.
Earlier this season, former NFL QB Cam Newton said Purdy is merely a “game manager,” and he doubled down on that comment by saying Purdy is merely the “10th-best player” on the 49ers’ roster, per “4thand1show” on Twitter.
“Brock Purdy is the 10th-best player on the 49ers”
To earn the ‘game changer’ label, you must be among the top three players on your team – @CameronNewton pic.twitter.com/ELmQRWF8yL
— 4thand1show (@4thand1show) January 31, 2024
The complaints critics have made about Purdy are that he has only put up great numbers because he’s surrounded by tons of talent and that he hadn’t led his team to a win in a big game after trailing late.
At the same time, no one made the same argument about Patrick Mahomes, whom the Niners are facing again in the Super Bowl, when he defeated them in Super Bowl LIV while playing alongside Pro Bowlers such as Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, not to mention star tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
Purdy shined brightly in the second half of Sunday’s NFC Championship Game versus the Detroit Lions, going 13 of 16 and driving San Francisco to victory after they trailed 24-7 at halftime and looked dead in the water.
He will have a chance to make his critics look truly foolish by bringing the Vince Lombardi Trophy home to California while preventing Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs from winning their third world championship.
The post Cam Newton Says Brock Purdy Is 10th-Best Player On 49ers appeared first on The Cold Wire.