Jordan Love vs. Brock Purdy was a deep dive into flawed, thrilling franchise quarterbacks
Jordan Love wilted when Brock Purdy played his best football. That's why the 49ers are back in the NFC title game.
The Green Bay Packers were 3-6 after Week 10. They made it to the divisional round of the playoffs anyway… and still found a way to crush their fans.
That’s because the NFL’s youngest team played like it, and it was led by their first-year starter quarterback.
Jordan Love wasn’t the only player who shrank against the spotlight Saturday night in Santa Clara. He was just the most visible. His regrettable fourth quarter saw a seven-point lead evaporate as the San Francisco 49ers advanced to their fourth NFC championship game in five years, 24-21.
Love had three fourth quarter drives in which he could have either extended the Packers’ lead or taken it back from a rallying Niners. In that stretch he fired five completions on nine attempts for a dismal 18 yards. His final throw of the night was a Day 1 mistake, rolling to his right and throwing to his left across the middle of the field. It was a pass with zero chance of success and a massive liability — one the 49ers wouldn’t let slide.
SAY IT WITH US: BIG PLAY DRE
#GBvsSF on FOX
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4oaLh pic.twitter.com/vFYhu65gWl
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 21, 2024
That ended a game in which Green Bay pushed six drives inside the San Francisco 25-yard line and scored just 21 points. Again, Saturday’s flaws didn’t solely belong to Love, but when his team needed him he looked very much like a first-year starter who couldn’t rise to the moment. He left points on the hashmarks and, in the biggest moment of his career, embodied all the worst gunslinging traits of the quarterbacks who preceded him.
This is a shame, because Love’s second playoff start also showcased all the reasons why Green Bay should be happy with his growth. Let’s talk about the good and bad of Jordan Love — and take a look at whether or not the guy who beat him, Brock Purdy, belongs in the circle of trust.