After snagging a spot in the Super Bowl by leading his team to victory against the Detroit Lions on Sunday night, committed Christian quarterback Brock Purdy didn’t gloat or brag. Rather, when asked about the 49ers’ comeback, one that required they overcome a 17-point deficit to march to victory, he gave all the “glory to God.”
That comment came during a post-game interview, during which he was asked to discuss how the 49ers managed to overcome their large starting deficit to eventually edge out the Lions, beating them 34-31. The interview, though about that huge comeback, was mostly notable for how Purdy turned it toward God and Christianity.
As background, Mr. Purdy has long been known as a Christian, as he has made his faith quite public. For example, in February of 2023, he said during an interview, “I believe that Jesus Christ did come down, and died for my sins and rose again, and He is living and sitting beside God (the Father) on the throne. And so I believe that. It’s not just some story fairytale thing. It’s real. And it allows me to stay level-headed and real with life.”
He also said during that interview that focusing on Christ rather than on fame is important, saying, “The minute you have fame, and if you’re trying to chase status and money and all this stuff, you’ll lose your life — rather than denying yourself, picking up your cross, keeping your eyes on Jesus and His promises. Through that, that’s life, and that’s a life worth living.”
In any case, speaking during the post-game interview about how God and his Christian faith factored into what he was thinking during the comeback. Purdy said, “First of all, glory to God. He’s given us this opportunity.”
Then, later in the interview, Purdy said that though he works hard to maintain his position, he sees much of his success as having been thanks to God. He said, “Honestly, I think it’s just a testament to God and where He’s taken me in life. I’ve never been the biggest, the fastest, the strongest, or any of that. I feel like I’ve always had to sort of fight for what I get and work for what I get.”
Continuing, he noted that his hard work has paid off thanks to the opportunities granted him by God, saying, “But God’s always given me an opportunity, whether that was in high school, college and then obviously in the NFL. Getting drafted last, people overlook you and all that kind of stuff, and then all you need is an opportunity and watch and see what He does. I put my faith and trust in Him and He’s gotten me where I’m at.“
Then, relating those thoughts back to the game and how he wanted to glorify God with his on-field performance, Purdy said, “So when I’m down 17 at half, honestly, I’m just thinking, ‘All right God, You’ve taken me here, and win or lose I’m going to glorify You.’ That’s my peace, that’s the joy, that’s the steadfastness — that’s where I get it from. And that’s the honest truth. So I leaned into that and sure enough, we were able to come back.”
Watch Purdy here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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