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The San Francisco 49ers are back where they’re supposed to be.
Injuries racked up from the jump last season, causing the Niners to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2020. After a market correction, they are back in the playoffs and fighting for a long-coveted Super Bowl.
Brock Purdy said the team is “grateful” to be back in January football, but it’s time to get going.
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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) after the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sept. 28, 2025. (Darren Yamashita/Imagn Images)
“Obviously, we’re grateful for it, but at the same time, it’s like, man, we got to turn it up and have that chip on our shoulder to go on the road and find a way to win and be ready for whatever comes our way kind of thing,” Purdy said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. “Obviously, last year, how it went down and not making the playoffs, you never want that to happen. But for us, we’ve turned the page, we have a new team, and we have to find a way.”
The Niners were a game away from having this weekend off, but they took a loss at home to the Seattle Seahawks for the NFC West crown and the No. 1 seed.
“Obviously, that was the goal last week, and we gave everything we had, but sometimes, things don’t go your way in the NFL. And for us, it’s all about bouncing back, man. We got to turn the page quickly and get it on to Philly, get our bodies right, mentally, be ready to roll on the road and find a way to get it done in four quarters,” Purdy said. “It’s going to be tough, we’ve been there before, they have a really good team, we respect them a lot, but obviously we’re capable of going in and playing our way of ball and finding a way to get it done. So that’s just our mindset from here on out.”
Purdy has been a pleasant surprise from day one. Originally the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft and third on the depth chart, Purdy is now fighting for his second Super Bowl appearance in three seasons as the starter, and he has Kyle Shanahan to thank.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan watches from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, Florida, on Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
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Given the coaching carousel throughout the NFL, Purdy said it has been “huge” for him to continue learning from one head coach.
“To be able to grow with a coach, have him be able to pour into you and mentor you, teach you, coach you, all the things, that’s extremely important. We see quarterbacks that get drafted pretty high to teams, and sometimes, you know, their surrounding casts and coaches and GMs, they’re in and out, and the player’s left there to, you know, sort of just learn on his own,” Purdy said. “So to be able to have a guy like Kyle for myself teach me and take me under his wing and be able to help me grow as a quarterback and as a professional athlete, I’m very thankful for that and I’ll never take that for granted. But obviously we see it every single year, new coaches come in and out. So, man, you got to take advantage of the time that you do have with good coaching and good players around you and go make it happen.”
Purdy admitted that “guys have talked about” playing the Super Bowl in front of their home crowd this year, but they need to “be where our feet are” and simply focus on the task at hand.
“It takes everything, man. You know, it’s never easy. It’s never given. We were the first seed, had the bye in 2023, we had to go on a game-winning drive in the divisional round the next week in the NFC championship, we’re down 17, and you got to find a way to claw and get back in it and find a way to win and go to the Super Bowl. And then you go to the Super Bowl and it’s overtime. Like, it’s never easy, man. You got to go earn it,” Purdy said.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass against the Seattle Seahawks during the third quarter at Lumen Field. (Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images)
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“Every game, every rep, you know, and that’s obviously the same case in the regular season for seeding purposes and getting into the playoffs. The NFL is never easy, man. And so every single year, it takes literally everybody and everything to go accomplish your goal, man. So we all understand that. I understand that, and we just got to be reminded of it because it’s not easy.”
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