Brock Purdy left his heart on the field against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium, but it wasn’t enough to help the 49ers escape a 25-22 overtime loss.
Roughly two months later, the 24-year-old still thinks about what he could have done differently or what he could take away to help bring San Francisco its sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Purdy, entering his second full NFL season as the 49ers’ starter, took time Monday to reflect on the game with reporters.
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“Yeah, I just think it's such a big game,” Purdy said. “Everything is magnified. Just every play can be the play. So going back it's like, I could have done better here with my eyes or my feet and with this read and make that throw. There's a handful of plays. So for me it's like, dang, I could have been better and I want to be better next time we get in that position and be ready for those opportunities when they come.
“And that sort of sinks back to just what I said, just in terms of my fundamentals and the little details. If I could just do that in the big moment, then we make the right play and we get the first down, and then obviously whatever, time management clock, management score, touchdowns, those things translate over. So that's where I'm at. When I watch it, I'm real about it.”
Purdy chooses to analyze Super Bowl LVIII by concentrating on the fundamentals, rather than getting caught up in his valid, yet distracting emotions from the dreaded Feb. 11 evening.
Understandably, losing a Super Bowl is a devastating experience, but Purdy knows being stuck in the moment forever won’t solve any of San Francisco’s issues, especially as it intends to be back in the big game.
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“Obviously, wish you won the game, won the Super Bowl and won a championship for this organization, but it happens,” Purdy added. “For me it's like, alright I’ve got to learn from it, like truly learn from it. Not like set emotion, set the emotions and the feelings and stuff aside, like remember those, but let's be real about the film and get better from it.
“There's a lot of things that we can learn and grow from. So that's what comes to mind when I watch it.”
Purdy finished his Super Bowl debut throwing 23 of 38 for 255 yards and a 10-yard touchdown to wide receiver Jauan Jennings. While it was far from Purdy’s best game, it wasn’t close to being his worst.
The same can be said for other 49ers, as they ultimately lost in overtime -- and San Francisco was in the game until the bitter end.
As Thursday's 2024 NFL Draft nears, it would be wise for the 49ers to live in the present. Purdy answered whether he and his San Francisco teammates still talk about the game, or if they opt to leave it in the past.
“Yeah, I think both,” the Iowa State product admitted. “You go through such a long year. It's like a marathon with these guys from camp, offseason stuff, all the way through preseason and then during the year and you're playing football from, what is it, August until February. So like you go through a lot with these guys. So you do have all these feelings and emotions.
“You put so much into it, you get to the final game and then you come up short in overtime. So for all of us it's like, dang, in the moment it's heartbreaking, but that's the nature of the sport that you play.”
There’s no going back for San Francisco. Instead, Purdy believes the 49ers must embrace their battle scars and get back to the drawing board in trying to return to glory.
And Purdy, who has the trust of his teammates, is ready to get back to business for the Bay.
“At the end of the day, we all love this game and we all have passion for it,” Purdy declared. “But when we're watching the film and we want to get better, you have to put those things aside and watch it for what it is. What are the coaching points? What are your fundamentals that you have to sink back to and execute? So, that's what I mean by talking about it.
“But when I see the guys in the locker room and stuff, again, we've obviously been through some stuff together, but that's the love that you have like we went to war together and now we get to do it again now. So it gets you excited.”
Purdy wants “it” as badly as anyone, and can't wait to get back to work.