Former NFL star Cam Newton was among those criticizing Brock Purdy’s performance in the playoffs as the San Francisco 49ers look to make a Super Bowl appearance.
Purdy had a decent performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl V. He completed 23 of 38 for 255 passing yards and one touchdown pass. He was fired only once.
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Cam Newton attends Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl Party at Marquee Day Club Las Vegas at The Cosmopolitan on February 10, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images)
Newton left out Purdy during the 25-22 loss to the 49ers on his podcast 4th & 1. He put it down to coaching decisions and San Francisco’s decision to receive the ball first in overtime.
“Field goals and touchdowns, that’s not Brock Purdy,” the former Carolina Panthers quarterback said. “Why did they receive the ball in the first place? It was Tony Romo who mentioned this. If you know what you have to get, now you have three to get it. There are only four downs instead.
“The 49ers were just trying to score points. And it’s not Brock Purdy’s fault. It’s bad coaching. Too many people were exposed. They didn’t know the real rules of overtime.”
Newton added that Purdy “played well enough for the team to win.”
Brock Purdy (No. 13) of the San Francisco 49ers takes on Justin Reid (No. 20) of the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium. (Eric W. Lasko/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
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The one-time NFL MVP said it was serious that the 49ers players didn’t know about the overtime rules. After the game, several players admitted as much.
“You know what? I didn’t even know the playoff rules were different in overtime,” 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk said via ESPN after the game. “I think Ball just wants to score a touchdown and win, but I don’t think that’s the case. I don’t completely know that strategy. We haven’t talked about that, no.”
Niners defensive end Arik Armstead didn’t know the rules either.
“I was surprised because I didn’t even know about the new rules for overtime in the playoffs,” he said, via ESPN. “I didn’t even really understand what was going on with that.”
Kyle Shanahan speaks to the media for the San Francisco 49ers prior to Super Bowl III at the Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort and Spa on February 8, 2024 in Henderson, Nevada. (Chris Unger/Getty Images)
Coach Kyle Shanahan suggested there is a strategy for overtime.
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“If both teams scored evenly, we wanted to have a chance to go for the win,” he said. “We made that field goal, so we wanted to at least keep it to a field goal. Even if we made it, we felt like the rest was in our hands.”
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