49ers’ Brock Purdy: No One Was Freaking Out Over 17-Point Halftime Deficit vs. Lions

Doric SamJanuary 29, 2024

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Things looked bleak for the San Francisco 49ers when they faced a 17-point halftime deficit in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions, but they managed to storm back and earn a 34-31 victory and secure their spot in Super Bowl LVIII.

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy told reporters that the team remained composed despite starting slow in the first half.

“No one was ‘rah-rah,’ no one was freaking out, it’s football,” Purdy said. “I feel like there’s a lot of experienced guys on this team, veterans that have been in crazy situations, so everyone was like, ‘Alright, we just gotta do our job, straight up.'”

Allen Stiles @The_StilesFilesBrock Purdy on the mood at halftime: “No one was freaking out…we just gotta do our job, straight up” 😤 pic.twitter.com/6l0P03Rkci

The 49ers surprisingly came out flat while playing in front of their home fans at Levi’s Stadium, allowing the Lions to control the early part of the game. Detroit reached the end zone in three of its first four possessions, the latter of which came after an interception thrown by Purdy.

Despite being down 24-7 at halftime, San Francisco didn’t need any motivational speeches to get going. Purdy said head coach Kyle Shanahan and linebacker Fred Warner were the only ones to address the team.

The strategy paid off, and it looked like a different San Francisco team emerged from the locker room, as it returned to the level that earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The 49ers scored 27 unanswered points in the second half to get the win and reach the Super Bowl for the second time in the last five years.

Purdy finished the day with 267 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 20-of-31 passing. He also added 48 rushing yards, showing his toughness with some impressive runs at key points down the stretch.

The 49ers will try to bring the same sense of poise to Super Bowl LVIII when they face the Kansas City Chiefs, who beat them in Super Bowl LIV four years ago.