Caleb Williams seemed to believe these sentiments when he shared them last week.
The Chicago Bears just defeated the Green Bay Packers in overtime. A primetime game against another NFC playoff team, the San Francisco 49ers, is coming up.
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Williams was asked if he got any “personal joy” from leading his team to the playoffs. So he explained.
“I’m not the biggest, I’m not the strongest, I’m not the tallest, the fastest, whatever,” Williams said. “I was drafted here and told I wasn’t a special player. I was told I didn’t fit in here. I was told the coaches and I weren’t going to work. I was told I couldn’t win here.
“I know that’s going to continue. But I do feel a little bit of satisfaction and stuff like that, being able to help this team … get to the playoffs.”
The view is amazing.
Williams is the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the Bears are confident in their selection and starting working with their quarterback before taking the field.
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When Williams turns pro, he’s long been the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, the questions are more when 2022 Heisman Trophy will choose to win his first championship if.
Niners quarterback Brock Purdy and Bears quarterback Caleb Williams represent opposite ends of the NFL draft spectrum. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
(Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images)
Yet: Whether it’s because he’s determined to take responsibility or because he’s still dealing with the inconsistency of his rookie year (hello, two head coaches and three offensive coordinators), Williams views his role in the Bears’ first playoff berth in five years as a feat of overcoming the odds.
“My goal is not just to make the playoffs,” Williams said. “My goal is to win, and win big.”
Sunday’s 42-38 victory by the Niners didn’t dampen expectations for Williams, who had 348 yards of offense and two scores. But a quarterback matchup between the No. 1 pick in one draft and the last pick in another once again highlights just how remarkable Brock Purdy’s journey has been.
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Because if Williams was truly told that he wasn’t the biggest, strongest, tallest or fastest — well, a lot of NFL talent evaluators weren’t going to take the time to tell Purdy what he was or wasn’t.
Now, hot off the heels of five consecutive touchdown performances, he’s ready to once again be the outlier in a largely homogeneous postseason quarterback field.
“Brock has been working his butt off,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Sunday night. “Made some great plays in this game, kept some drives with his legs, made some unscheduled plays and was just a assassin all day long.”
Purdy’s draft status, injury history suggest he shouldn’t be performing like he is
Entering the final week of the NFL regular season, 12 teams have already locked up playoff spots. Four others are still alive and vying for the final two spots.
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Their quarterback silhouettes are largely cut from the same cloth.
Of the 16 teams that can participate in the playoffs, 14 have a starting quarterback drafted in the first round. Five of those quarterbacks were not only drafted in the first round, but also drafted No. 1 overall in their class.
Reigning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts was an outlier coming off the board in the second round: The Philadelphia Eagles drafted him with the 53rd pickRD 2020 overall.
[Get more 49ers news: San Francisco team feed]
Purdy is the only playoff-eligible starting quarterback drafted after the second round, with the 49ers selecting him with the last pick and naming him the 2022 Mr. Irrelevant.
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Purdy’s draft isn’t a new playoff storyline. He played in six playoff games for the 49ers during the 2022 and 2023 NFL seasons, including a Super Bowl game.
However, on Sunday night against the Bears, he seemed to unlock another gear. Not just because Purdy completed 24 of 33 passes for 303 yards and three touchdown passes after throwing the pick-6 on the first play of the game (Shanahan said the decision was the right process, even if it led to unhelpful results). In other words, Purdy rushed for two more touchdowns and won by 4 points in a very entertaining penalty shootout.
It turned out to be how Purdy was stunning against the Bears’ admittedly shaky defense.
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The last draft pick facing the No. 1 pick didn’t look like his draft status, nor did he look like a quarterback who missed eight games this season with an injured right big toe.
He throws darts into the air and uses his feet to escape defenders.
With 5:01 left in the third quarter and the game tied at 28, Purdy faked a handoff to running back Brian Robinson Jr. and rolled to his left. He sprinted toward the end zone but didn’t take the shot without a clear target. Then Bears defensive linemen Austin Booker and Andrew Billings started closing in. Purdy retreated and then swooped between two edge players, luring the Bears’ defense closer to him and away from linebacker Kyle Juszczyk. With Juzczyk wide open, Purdy hit the target.
The 49ers scored a touchdown. That night, not for the first time, Purdy lined up for his “Dougie” dance.
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“Having a quarterback who can do some things out of scheme is a big part of our success,” Shanahan said. “He makes me really nervous and then makes me really happy, which sometimes happens.”
Although the energized Bears tied and outscored the 49ers with 10 points in the fourth quarter, Purdy had another trick up his sleeve.
Facing second-and-10 from the 38 with 2:23 left in the game, Purdy stayed calm in the pocket and threw a 21-yard dart downfield to the very receiver Jauan Jennings he was targeting on his debut 6. Jennings weaved the remaining 17 yards into the end zone for the game-winning drive.
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And the 49ers kept their hopes of a top seed alive despite missing several key players.
“It’s huge,” Shanahan said. “I’ve been proud of these guys all year and proud of them today. It’s great to have the opportunity to play for a No. 1 seed. And these guys have earned that opportunity.”
With the No. 1 seed on the line, can Purdy continue to hold up against the Seahawks’ stingy defense?
To lock down the No. 1 seed and earn a first-round bye in the NFC, the 49ers must defeat the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night.
The two teams faced off in the first week of the season, with the 49ers defeating the Seahawks 17-13 in Seattle. Purdy passed for 294 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. San Francisco had a much stronger roster then.
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The centerpiece of the offense, of course, is receiver Brandon Aiyuk and wide receiver Deebo Samuel, as they traded him to the Washington Commanders in the offseason due to contract and rehab disagreements. But that game came before Purdy missed eight games with a turf toe issue and before tight end George Kittle missed six games with hamstring and ankle injuries.
Star linebacker Fred Warner has yet to fracture and dislocate his ankle, and defensive ends Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams have yet to tear their ACLs.
The cast of characters heading into this final against the Seahawks has changed since they last met. But the 49ers believe they are battle-tested. Purdy and his teammates will face a tougher challenge against a Seattle defense that ranks second in points scored and sixth in yards allowed.
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Then again, to quote the Bears’ Williams, isn’t this all going to be an uphill battle?
Purdy was initially unlikely to earn a starting job on a 49ers team that included third-overall pick Trey Lance, as evidenced by the top-heavy nature of this year’s postseason at quarterback.
Now, in eight games played this year, Purdy’s numbers are similar to those of high-draft quarterbacks. His 104.2 passer rating ranks fourth behind only Drake Maye, Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff, who were the third, first and first picks respectively. According to Next Gen Stats, Purdy’s 2.5 passing touchdowns per game are second only to Stafford, and his 7.1 EPA touchdowns per game are second only to Meyer.
If all of these numbers belong to Williams in Chicago, they are more likely from a statistical perspective as opposed to a quarterback perspective.
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For Purdy, they shouldn’t stop impressing. Teaming up with one of the league’s best play-callers in Shanahan and one of the league’s best weapons in Christian McCaffrey will help. But Purdy doesn’t just operate among them. He is lifting them up.
Shanahan declined to confirm whether Purdy is in the prime of his four-year NFL career so far. But he did not deny the possibility.
“I don’t know, I’m not the best historian,” Shanahan said. “I thought he had some good performances. I mean, especially going back to ’23 and ’22.
“But I mean, he’s playing really well right now.”