It has been challenging for the 49ers to derive positives from their second Super Bowl defeat to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in five seasons.
Still, 24-year-old quarterback Brock Purdy found a way to provide something for San Francisco to build on.
In talking to reporters on Tuesday, the first-time NFL Pro Bowl selection explained his attempt to put a positive spin on a dire era.
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“Obviously, it’s a sucky feeling,” Purdy told reporters on Monday. “But I’m also trying to have the perspective of, ‘Alright, this is happening for a reason, you know. It’s all part of our stories and testimonies.’ So, that’s sort of the hope I have for [the Super Bowl LVIII loss]. More than anything, [I’m] just being grateful for the kind of season we had with the guys in this locker room, this team, this organization. We got to the Super Bowl, we went to overtime and fell short of [winning]. It sucks. We wanted it, we gave our all this year.
“But man, I had the opportunity to do it with some very good people, and I’m thankful for that.”
Purdy’s grateful for his 49ers teammates who accompanied him on quite the emotional journey. And like the Faithful, he’s growing familiar with the seemingly never-ending 49ers heartbreaks in the NFL playoffs -- suffering a torn right UCL in the 2023 NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles and a Super Bowl defeat in his inaugural appearance on the biggest stage.
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Purdy's hopeful the 49ers’ dark days are part of a bigger picture where San Francisco ultimately wins the last game of a season.
Considering the Iowa State product just completed his first full season as the 49ers’ starting quarterback and reached the Super Bowl, San Francisco likely could return to the promised land during its Purdy-led era.