San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is crediting his Christian faith as what keeps him grounded amid hopes of making history as the first rookie to take his team to the Super Bowl.
The 49ers defeated the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday in the divisional round to move on to the NFC championship game this weekend. They will face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
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While Purdy was the last player selected in the 2022 NFL draft, he has won all seven of the games he’s started this season since the 49ers lost quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo to injuries.
“They’re now just one game away from the Super Bowl!” the Rev. Franklin Graham said after last Sunday’s 49ers win. “In addition to being a super talented football player, I love the fact that Brock Purdy is so open about his faith in Jesus Christ.”
“It’s been football, man,” Purdy recently told reporters. “I don’t try to make it more than it is. I’m a faith-based guy, so that’s how I stay grounded. I don’t look at football like it’s literally everything. It’s [not] do or die or anything like that.”
As Purdy heads into the next biggest game of his career, he is balancing the job at hand with a greater identity.
“It’s a game and it’s my job, for sure, and I take it very seriously, but at the end of the day, I know that I’m not defined by the wins or losses as a person, like, that’s not who I am,” Purdy said. “I’m not just a quarterback. I wasn’t born to just to be a quarterback and play football and that’s it. Like, I have a life and everything like that.
“And I remember that, but at the same time, man, I’m a competitor,” he added. “I love to compete. I want to win at all costs, and so, I’ve been enjoying that as well, so that’s where I’m at. That’s how I stay grounded with it all, but I’m definitely thankful and blessed to be here.”
In 2021, the former Iowa State University quarterback said he hoped his actions on the field help “others to see God.”
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“Every time I step on the field, I want to bring him glory. Even when we lose, I point to God and thank him for the opportunity. Everything happens for a reason. It’s all a lesson from the Lord,” Purdy told Sports Spectrum. “It’s a game. It’s not my life. It took me a long time to realize this. I used to put football in front of the Lord. I would pray for him to keep me safe and give me a good game, but it isn’t about that. Now I pray that I would make the most of the opportunity he’s given me and, win or lose, that I would put him first.”
The 49ers will face the Eagles on Sunday at 3 p.m. The winner will then move on to play in the Super Bowl, which is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 12, against the winner of this weekend’s AFC championship game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs.
