Brock Purdy made history earlier this season when he faced Rams QB Matthew Stafford, making 49ers vs. Rams in Week 2 the first matchup of a Mr. Irrelevant quarterback and a No. 1 overall pick in NFL history.
As Purdy and the 49ers continued to chug toward another NFC West title, four more such matchups took place. Purdy faced Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Baker Mayfield, and Kyler Murray by the end of the regular season, winning all but one.
No win would mean more than the one Purdy can earn on Sunday when he faces off with a former No. 1 pick for the first time in his playoff career. Despite the massive gap in draft status, it's Purdy and the 49ers who enter the NFC championship game as decisive favorites over Jared Goff and the Lions.
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As the 49ers try to move one win away from a championship, here's a look at how such an unlikely NFC championship quarterback matchup came to be.
No. 1 pick vs. Mr. Irrelevant
A No. 1 pick vs. Mr. Irrelevant matchup in the NFC championship was actually guaranteed once the 49ers advanced, barring injury, as the divisional-round matchup between the Lions and Buccaneers was a battle of two quarterbacks drafted No. 1 overall. Goff got the better of Baker Mayfield, earning his second NFC championship appearance.
Purdy has been part of five No. 1 pick vs. Mr. Irrelevant quarterback matchups, and those happen to be the only five in NFL history. None have occurred in the playoffs.
That will change on Sunday when Purdy and Goff do battle as two quarterbacks who are no strangers to being discredited and discounted. Purdy was the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and didn't debut with the 49ers until two other signal-callers (Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance) suffered major injuries, while Goff was cast aside by the Rams three years ago and had to prove he deserved a chance to be the Lions' long-term solution at quarterback.
Now, one of these quarterbacks will be going to the Super Bowl. Goff has already been there once, but going back with a second team after falling out of favor in Los Angeles would be one of the most remarkable quarterback stories in recent memory. Purdy going from Mr. Irrelevant in year one to the Super Bowl in year two might be the only story that can claim to be even more remarkable than Goff's.
Jared Goff and Brock Purdy both ranked top 5 in pass yards and TDs in 2023 👀
— NFL (@NFL) January 23, 2024
- Goff: 4,575 pass yards (2nd), 30 pass TD (4th)
- Purdy: 4,280 pass yards (5th), 31 pass TD (3rd)
📺: #DETvsSF - 6:30 PM ET on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/QX5bgmBvud
The NFC championship is a stark contrast to the AFC title game, which pits a two-time MVP against a quarterback on the verge of also winning his second MVP award. Only Super Bowl MVP matters to these four quarterbacks now, and both Purdy and Goff are hoping to get a shot in Las Vegas next month.
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Jared Goff, No. 1 Pick (2016)
Goff was the projected No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft throughout the draft process, and the consensus never wavered even as Carson Wentz rocketed up draft boards.
The Titans' decision to trade the top pick to the Rams ensured a quarterback would be taken first, and the franchise used its first selection since relocating to Los Angeles on Goff.
Goff struggled in limited time as a rookie but made a huge leap in year two after Sean McVay took over as the Rams' head coach. Goff made three playoff appearances with Los Angeles and led them to Super Bowl 53, but he fell out of favor in 2020 and was swapped for Matthew Stafford shortly after the season.
Initially viewed as a bridge quarterback with the Lions, Goff has instead taken Detroit somewhere it hasn't been in 32 years. He now finds himself two wins away from immortality as the Lions chase a championship. Despite his draft status, Goff is a sizable underdog against Purdy and the 49ers in Sunday's NFC title game.
Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant (2022)
Purdy entered the NFL with much less fanfare. While he looked like a potential high draft pick after throwing for 27 touchdowns and nearly 4,000 yards as a sophomore at Iowa State in 2019, Purdy's efficiency took a step back in '20 and '21 as the Cyclones focused more on the running game with Breece Hall in the backfield.
Purdy was drafted — but barely. He was the 262nd and final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, coming in behind quarterbacks such as Chris Oladokun and Skylar Thompson. That opportunity was all he needed.
After season-ending injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo left the 49ers slim on options, Purdy took the reins of the offense and instantly found success. He won seven consecutive games before the 49ers' NFC championship loss to the Eagles, during which he exited with a serious UCL injury in his elbow and couldn't throw when an injury to Josh Johnson forced him back into the game.
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Kyle Shanahan stood by Purdy as his starter throughout the offseason despite the small sample size, and the Iowa State product has rewarded that confidence. While there were bumps along the way, including a four-interception night against the Ravens on Christmas, Purdy threw for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns in as impressive of a season as 49ers could've hoped for.
San Francisco's championship-or-bust season will be defined by the next two games, but just getting to this point is a remarkable achievement for a player who has defied the odds at every turn.
