Brock Purdy vs. Jared Goff: A battle of QBs with two vastly different journeys in Lions-49ers NFC title game

Only one round of playoff football stands between the NFL’s final four contenders and a trip to Super Bowl LVIII, which will kick off Feb. 11 on CBS, Nickelodeon and Paramount+. Two of the league’s top underdog stories at quarterbacks, meanwhile, will go head to head in the NFC Championship, with Brock Purdy and Jared Goff guiding the 49ers and Lions, respectively.

How did the signal-callers get to this point? Who has the advantage going into the NFC title game? Here’s a full breakdown:

The basics

How are the QBs built? How did their careers begin? And how do they play the game? Let’s take a look:

Brock Purdy

49ers

24

2nd

6-1, 220

Iowa State

2022 draft (7/262)

Jared Goff

Lions

29

8th

6-4, 217

California

2021 trade (Rams)

Purdy and Goff couldn’t have had more different ways of entering the NFL. The latter, a polished pocket-passing prospect out of Cal, went No. 1 overall in the 2016 draft. Purdy, meanwhile, was literally the last pick of his draft class, drawing the infamous “Mr. Irrelevant” nickname as a smart but seemingly limited pro prospect, relegated to backup duties to start his career.

Purdy is now one of the most recognized names in the game, entering with improbable poise after the 49ers lost their top two QBs to injury in 2022, then replicating his off-the-bench bravado as the full-timer in 2023. While he lacks the prototypical height for the position, and obviously benefits from an all-star supporting cast under coach Kyle Shanahan, the Iowa State product has proven adept at both taking what’s given and shuffling to take big-play chances downfield, resembling a quick-thinking point guard.

Goff has endured a roller-coaster journey of his own, shepherding a Rams Super Bowl appearance before a quick falling-out in Los Angeles, only to revive his career as the resilient figurehead of an upstart Lions team. Slender but well-suited for old-fashioned pocket-throwing due to his height and a crisp,…

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Author : Cody Benjamin

Publish date : 2024-01-27 17:38:29

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