San Francisco was down 17 points at halftime against a Detroit Lions team that had the 49ers contained.
But the 49ers came back from the 24-7 halftime score, riding quarterback Brock Purdy’s scrambling and passing to become the NFC champions with a 34-31 victory over the Lions, according to ESPN.
After the game, Purdy was focused on more than making it to the Super Bowl to play the Kansas City Chiefs.
“First of all, glory to God,” Purdy said in a postgame video clip posted to X.
Brock Purdy just led the @49ers to the Super Bowl 👏 pic.twitter.com/mBaErqqO2G
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 29, 2024
Purdy spoke about his faith again in a postgame news conference posted on YouTube.
“Honestly, I think it’s just a testament to God and where He’s taken me in life,” Purdy said.
Will the 49ers win the Super Bowl?
“I’ve never been the biggest, the fastest, the strongest, or any of that. I feel like I’ve always sort of had to fight for what I get and work for what I get. But God’s always given me an opportunity, whether that was in high school, college and then obviously in the NFL,” he said.
“Getting drafted last, people overlook you and all that kind of stuff, and then all you need is an opportunity and watch and see what He does. I put my faith and trust in Him, and He’s gotten me where I’m at,” he said.
Purdy said his faith helps him roll with the punches.
“So when I’m down 17 at half, honestly, I’m just like thinking, ‘All right God, You’ve taken me here, and win or lose, I’m going to glorify You.’ That’s my peace, that’s the joy, that’s the steadfastness — that’s where I get it from,” he said.
“And that’s the honest truth. So I leaned into that, and sure enough, we were able to come back,” he said.
In an interview last year with Sports Spectrum, Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 NFL draft, said faith keeps him grounded in reality.
“I believe that Jesus Christ did come down, and died for my sins and rose again, and He is living and sitting beside God (the Father) on the throne. And so I believe that. It’s not just some story fairytale thing. It’s real. And it allows me to stay level-headed and real with life,” he said.
“The minute you have fame, and if you’re trying to chase status and money and all this stuff, you’ll lose your life — rather than denying yourself, picking up your cross, keeping your eyes on Jesus and His promises. Through that, that’s life, and that’s a life worth living,” he said.
Purdy said the world knows him as an athlete, but he noted that “my identity can’t be in football, it can’t be in the things of this world. It’s got to be in Him.”
