Purdy 'thankful' to be part of storied 49ers-Cowboys rivalry originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The 49ers' storied rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys goes back decades, and Brock Purdy just helped write the latest chapter with Sunday's 19-12 win in the NFC Divisional Playoff.
And once the tight, one-score game finally had come to an end, the rookie quarterback took some time to look around Levi's Stadium to reflect on his place in San Francisco lore.
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"Right now I'm still focused, in a sense, with just the game and what we could have done to be better, but yeah, it's pretty cool to see the clock at zero and then you see the Niners over the Cowboys," Purdy told reporters after the win. "That's pretty sweet in the playoffs. So, definitely credit to the coaching staff in getting us right all week. Defense, offense, special teams, everyone just playing. It takes everybody, not just one person or a couple guys.
"It literally takes everybody. So, I'm just so proud of the team and playoff football is not easy, so to go and pull off a win like that against a great team like Dallas and now going to the NFC championship, it means a lot to us. And for myself, yeah, when I take a step back, it's pretty cool. Very thankful.”
This year marked the second consecutive season the 49ers and Cowboys faced off in the playoffs, and it also was the second consecutive season San Francisco dashed Dallas' hopes of reaching a Super Bowl.
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The two dynastic franchises have met in the postseason a total of nine times with the 49ers winning four of those meetings and the Cowboys five. But San Francisco has claimed the last three playoff games against Dallas.
Aside from their latest three, the 49ers' first playoff win over the Cowboys came on Jan. 10, 1982, when Dwight Clark came down with The Catch from Joe Montana to lift Bill Walsh’s team to its first Super Bowl.
Purdy helped the 49ers earn their most recent playoff victory over the Cowboys by completing 19 of his 29 pass attempts for 214 yards, but against a stifling Dallas defense, the 23-year-old didn't throw a touchdown pass for the first time since becoming the 49ers' starting quarterback.
“Credit to Dallas, they did a great job just playing physical, stopping the run, making us throw more than we anticipated," Purdy said. "But it just sort of came down to executing once we got into the red zone and things like that. So, I think we’ve got to be a little bit better there. I have to be a little bit better down there, but overall, it was a great challenge for us.”
It's evident Purdy plans on hitting the film room hard after Sunday's big win before facing off against the No. 1-seeded Philadelphia Eagles in next Sunday's NFC Championship Game.
Because now, it's time for Mr. Irrelevant to write the final chapter in his own Cinderella story -- which hopefully will end with a Super Bowl win.
