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LAS VEGAS — It’s almost midnight in the lobby of the Paris Hotel. The sky is black, but only outside. In here, the ceilings are baby blue and dotted by wispy clouds, painted to resemble a spring day. The air is thick with the flash and whistle of casino games, the clank of glasses and the glow of drawn cigarettes. It may as well be noon as the sizzle of the Strip collides with the anticipation of Vegas’ first Super Bowl.
Thirty minutes away, under the still and silent watch of the Mojave Desert mountains, nestled inside the Hilton Lake resort, the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers is probably asleep. And one thing is for sure: He’s said his prayers.
Brock Purdy is already a big name with a big story. In less than two years, he’s gone from literally the last pick of the NFL draft to the third-youngest QB set to ever start a Super Bowl. At 22, he was a third-stringer out of Iowa State, collectively written off as training camp fodder. Barely 24, he’s an MVP finalist for the franchise with the second-most Lombardi Trophies of all time, up against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs — this era’s model QB and aspiring dynasty — on football’s biggest stage.
The wildest part of all? Hardly anyone’s batting an eye.
From zero to 100
It’s a testament to how rapidly and seamlessly Purdy has positioned himself atop the unceasing discourse over the game’s best signal-callers. Two hundred and sixty-one players were drafted before him in 2022. Two other QBs sat ahead of him to start his rookie year. Eight of his first 11 NFL games saw him take zero snaps. But his draft-day nickname, Mr. Irrelevant, now registers as purely ironic. Twenty-six starts in, Purdy is 21-5, including playoffs, and has been historically efficient as esteemed coach Kyle Shanahan’s point guard: 53 total touchdowns, just 16 interceptions, and a passer rating clear above 100.
Mahomes, who may already be a lock for…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/49ers-brock-purdy-in-a-special-place-ahead-of-2024-super-bowl-vs-chiefs-inside-the-qbs-improbable-rise/
Author : Cody Benjamin
Publish date : 2024-02-10 16:19:46
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