During the regular season, Brock Purdy was not credited with a single fourth-quarter comeback or a game-winning drive.
In two playoff games, he has one in each of the San Francisco 49ers' thrilling victories.
The 49ers will head back to the Super Bowl for the second time in four years following their 34-31 win over the Lions, overcoming a 17-point halftime deficit to do so. It wasn't the biggest comeback in franchise history -- and not even the biggest playoff comeback for the 49ers -- but it will go down as one of their most memorable.
And they couldn't have done it without Purdy's second half.
"Just the feeling of redemption, coming back, it's huge," Purdy said in his post-game news conference. "To see the clock hit zero and you're up, it was special to all of us."
The Lions took control of the game early with a scalding offensive attack, rushing for three touchdowns while building a 24-7 halftime lead. Purdy and the 49ers, meanwhile, were stuck in neutral. After a missed field goal on their first drive, the Niners drove 75 yards for a score, but a bad interception under pressure by Purdy led to the Lions' third TD of the half.
Purdy was 7-of-15 passing for 93 yards, with a TD and an INT in the first half, struggling to push the ball down the field, all while the Lions scored on four of their five possessions. Even with the 49ers getting the ball first to start the second half, things weren't looking great. Then again, they weren't looking so hot last week against the Packers.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said he told the team at the break: "Guys, we're only down 17 points."
Added Purdy: "Nobody was rah-rah. Nobody was freaking out."
