Purdy not dwelling on past ahead of Philly return — ‘It’s a new year’

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – As he prepares to return to the scene of the elbow injury that led to offseason surgery and lengthy rehabilitation, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy , don’t think about how far he’s come since that fateful day in Philadelphia. .

“Am I going to go in there and get sentimental and say, ‘I’ve come a long way since then?’ It’s not really like that,” Purdy said. “Am I going to go into the game saying I want revenge and all that kind of stuff? It’s not like that [either]. So, I’m just going to try to do my job and be the best Brock I can be for this team. »

Purdy and the Niners will travel to Philadelphia on Friday for the NFC Championship Game rematch against the Eagles. San Francisco hasn’t returned to Lincoln Financial Field since Jan. 29, the day the Eagles knocked Purdy out of the game in the first quarter with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and cruised to a 31-7 victory.

This injury has shaken up the Niners quarterback situation. Veteran Josh Johnson replaced Purdy but left after suffering a concussion early in the third quarter. This forced Purdy, who was unable to throw the ball more than a few yards, back into the game.

From there, Purdy had to wait for the swelling in his elbow to go down before undergoing UCL repair with InternalBrace in March in preparation for returning to training camp. Purdy was cleared to participate in two out of three practices at the start of camp, but was fully cleared in time to start the season.

Now, Purdy and the Niners return for another big game in Philadelphia, even if it lacks the stakes of that January meeting.

“I got hurt there and everything, but for me it’s Week 13,” Purdy said. “We’re hitting the road in a hostile environment. We’re late in the season, so obviously every game is important to us. And that’s where I’m at with my mindset. It’s a new year , two new teams, slightly different in different ways. So that’s how I see it.

Purdy comes into this rematch with a lot more experience than last time. He has started every game this season and, including the playoffs, has 19 career starts. During that time, Purdy improved from his rookie position.

Through 11 games, Purdy leads the NFL in QBR (75.6), yards per attempt (9.4) and completion percentage (70.2%) while throwing for 19 touchdowns and six interceptions. Purdy’s production has played a vital role in San Francisco’s 8-3 start and allows the Niners to return to the playoffs and, if they win on Sunday, close the gap on the Eagles for the No. 1 seed. 1 of the NFC.

That’s why the 49ers say Purdy will be business as usual in Philadelphia.

“I think the first game, the first hit, things like that, they’re a little vulnerable because of post-traumatic stress,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “But I think once they get over all that, I think it’s mostly over.”

One thing Purdy and the Niners are aware of this week is a forecast calling for rain Sunday afternoon. San Francisco has played only one rain game this season, a Week 6 loss to the Cleveland Browns in which Purdy had the worst outing of his career as the rain began and continued. stopped at different points in the match.

If it rains heavily during Sunday’s game, Purdy said he plans to wear a glove on his throwing hand, something he did at Iowa State but has yet to do in the NFL .

“If it’s raining, putting a glove on, I think for me at least it kind of helps,” Purdy said. “Obviously a little more grip on the ball etc. If it’s raining lightly, I don’t know if that’s necessarily a necessity. I feel like I can grip the ball just as well with or without glove in light rain.”

Of course, Purdy wasn’t the only Niner asked about what happened in January this week. After that loss, the Niners expressed disappointment at not having had the opportunity to see how they might have fared with a healthy Purdy. This resulted in something of a war of words with the Eagles as questions persisted into the start of the offseason.

But neither the 49ers nor the Eagles seem very interested in resuming those discussions.

“You tend to make things a little bigger than they are,” tight end George Kittle said. “It’s a Week 13 game. It’s against the Philadelphia Eagles. They’re the No. 1 seed, we’re fighting for a potential seed. It’s very important. And I’m 100 % agree with you. I don’t think that’s really the case. It was a football match. We have lost. Get better and find a way to win.”

This refrain from the 49ers locker room is also colored by the possibility that these teams currently occupying the top two playoff positions in the NFC find themselves with another trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

“I’m pretty sure people have thought about it,” left tackle Trent Williams said. “And I’m pretty sure if both teams do what we plan to do and what we set out to do, there’s a good chance we can do it. [meet again]”.