SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — When Brock Purdy walked off the field following his first playoff trip to Philadelphia, his future was in question.
Purdy had gone from the last pick of the 2022 draft to an improbable starting quarterback in the NFC title game for the San Francisco 49ers in a span of nine months only to tear a ligament in his right elbow on his opening drive of a loss.
“You tear your UCL, the ligament that you use as a quarterback, as a thrower, obviously you start thinking about your future and things and coming back from the injury and it was at the end of the year so I was questioning will I be back in time, will I be the guy come the start of the season? Stuff like that,” Purdy said Thursday. “But now we’re moved on and ready to go.”
Purdy returned from the major surgery and proved his late-season run as a rookie wasn’t a momentary flash, establishing himself as the franchise quarterback for the 49ers (12-5).
He won in his return to Philadelphia in 2023 when he helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl and leads the 49ers back to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles (11-6) on Sunday in a wild-card matchup.
Purdy’s concerns this week are with Vic Fangio’s defense featuring stars such as Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, and a tough Philadelphia crowd instead of the elbow which has been completely healed since 2023.
“Obviously, we know Philly from being there and their environment, their fans, all the things,” Purdy said. “It’s getting prepared for that right now rather than having flashbacks or anything like that. I already went there in 2023 and played after what had happened in ’22. So, I feel like that’s out of the way and ready to move on.”
Purdy recovered from that injury to become an AP NFL MVP finalist in the 2023 season when he set a franchise record for yards passing and helped the Niners reach the Super Bowl before losing in overtime to the Chiefs.
After the Niners struggled to a 6-11 record last season, they are back in the postseason again with another visit to Philadelphia on Sunday for the wild-card round.
The season hasn’t been an easy one for Purdy, who was rewarded for his early success with a five-year, $265 million contract extension in May. Purdy injured his toe in the season opener and missed the next two games.
He returned and struggled in a Week 4 loss to Jacksonville before sitting out the next six games because of the injured toe. He returned in Week 11 and quickly got back to his old form, leading San Francisco to six straight wins including back-to-back five touchdown games in prime-time wins over Indianapolis in Chicago in Weeks 16 and 17.
That’s the type of performance the 49ers have grown used to seeing from Purdy.
“I’ve got to say, when he showed up from the first game he played, he looked pretty incredible in that game too,” running back Christian McCaffrey said. “He’s never gotten enough credit. When I look at his resume and how well he’s played throughout his entire career, he’s a special football player. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league. … He’s always played with that swagger and that energy.”
But Purdy and the San Francisco offense struggled in the regular-season finale with the No. 1 seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage on the line against Seattle. The Niners managed one field goal in a 13-3 loss as Purdy was held to 127 yards on 27 attempts.
Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said that has served as motivation this week.
“We got punched in the mouth,” Kubiak said. “We didn’t play good and we got beat. That’s what happened. I think our guys were a little pissed off. I think they were disappointed. We were all disappointed in how we played and how we coached. It wasn’t our best.”
The Niners got some good news on the injury front with Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams back at practice for the first time since injuring his hamstring on the opening snap in Week 17.
Receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee, ankle) remains out but was able to do some running on the side. Linebacker Luke Gifford (quadriceps) didn’t practice after being limited on Wednesday. Defensive lineman Keion White (hamstring, groin) and linebacker Dee Winters (ankle) also remained out.
Tight end George Kittle (ankle), defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (knee) and defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos (knee) were also limited.
Linebacker Fred Warner, who has been out since injuring his ankle in Week 6, was able to do some running on the side for the first time during an open portion of practice to reporters.
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