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Paul Heyman called it.
The iconic WWE promoter, who spent years as Brock Lesnar’s advocate, appeared on “FOX NFL Kickoff” before Saturday’s Seattle Seahawks-San Francisco 49ers wild-card matchup to hype up another Brock — 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
And Purdy lived up to the hype.
The rookie out of Iowa State, who was selected as “Mr. Irrelevant” with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, completed 18 of 30 passes for 332 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in his playoff debut as the 49ers pulled away in the second half to beat the Seahawks 41-17 and advance to the divisional round. He also had a rushing touchdown.
While the 49ers’ other stars also showed up in big ways — Christian McCaffrey had 119 rushing yards, Deebo Samuel had a 74-yard touchdown catch-and-run and Nick Bosa had a pivotal fumble recovery with San Francisco clinging to a six-point lead in the third quarter — Purdy had social media buzzing, with LeBron James even chiming in. San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb, a Northern California native, also tipped his cap.
Purdy later responded to James’ tweet:
Purdy became the first rookie quarterback selected in the seventh round to start a playoff game in over 70 years, and he made more history with his play. The 23-year-old is just the second rookie in the Super Bowl era to have three passing touchdowns in a playoff game (Dak Prescott). He is also the second rookie to have at least one passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown in a playoff game (Russell Wilson).
Purdy’s 332 passing yards were the most by a 49ers quarterback in the playoffs since Joe Montana in the Super Bowl in 1989. He becomes just the fourth quarterback in franchise history to have over 300 passing yards and three passing touchdowns in a postseason game, joining Montana, Steve Young and Jeff Garcia.
The 49ers now get another home game against either the Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys or Tampa Bay Buccaneers, depending on how the rest of Super Wild Card Weekend shakes out — and Purdy’s performance Saturday should put any potential opponent on notice.
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