SANTA CLARA — Down 17 points to Detroit at the half of last season’s NFC title game, Brock Purdy helped engineer the comeback that sent the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in one of the most memorable performances of a spectacular first full season as a NFL starting quarterback.

As Purdy prepares to face the Lions on Monday night for the first time since that 34-31 victory, the success this season has been much more elusive.

As the Lions (13-2) battle for the top seed in the NFC playoffs having built on that disappointing finish, Purdy and the 49ers (6-9) are stumbling to the finish of a lost season that has been hampered by contract disputes, injuries and far less efficient play from the quarterback.

Even though the production has dropped, the Niners believe Purdy is the franchise quarterback they need. Shanahan said the mental consistency Purdy had exhibited this season bodes well for his future.

“Brock’s a very strong person,” he said. “I think he’s disappointed. He had high expectations this year, just like we all did. I also don’t think he hasn’t ever been in a losing situation yet. So, I think that’s very hard for him. But to watch how he responds each week, to watch how he practices, to watch how he is in the meetings, he’s always the same guy and nothing’s changed in that way.”

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Challenging Situation for Purdy

“He’s in a more challenging situation this year,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “He’s got two more weeks of it. I think it’s going to end up being really good for him in the long run. I thought he played at such a high level in some situations last year that some were good and easier, but then some were tough. Just like even both playoff games. … I think this year just having a number of his guys down and things like that has been harder on him but usually that stuff can make you better.”

Everything went smoothly in 2023 as Purdy had one of the most prolific passing seasons in team history. He set a franchise record for yards passing (4,280), became the first Niners QB in more than two decades to throw at least 30 TD passes (31), and helped lead comeback wins over Green Bay and Detroit in the playoffs.

Purdy led the NFL with a 113 passer rating and his 9.6 yards per attempt were the most in the NFL for a qualifying QB since Kurt Warner had 9.9 in 2000. That helped the player drafted with the last pick in the 2022 draft finish fourth in MVP voting in his first full season as a starter.

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Struggles and Setbacks

This season was a bit of a struggle from the start with star receiver Brandon Aiyuk and All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams skipping training camp practices because of contract disputes. Aiyuk then played only seven games before tearing his ACL and Williams played 10 before going down with a season-ending ankle injury.

Reigning Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey missed the first eight games with Achilles’ tendinitis and then went down with a knee injury in his fourth game back.

Purdy also hasn’t been as sharp or consistent and his passer rating has dropped nearly 20 points to 94.4, his yards per attempt are down to 8.3 and he has only 17 TD passes.

“There’s some plays out there that I’d love to have back and I wish I could’ve been better for my team and for myself,” he said. “But at the same time, I feel like there’s been some growth in my game that has happened and really just I think like leadership-wise with this team and sort of stepping up when the team needs it, sort of just being a guy that they can hear from.”

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Regaining the Edge

While Purdy has assumed a larger leadership role, he says he needs to get the edge back that helped him develop from being “Mr. Irrelevant” in the 2022 draft to an MVP finalist in less than two years.

“I need to get better and get back to playing at the chip on my shoulder like it was my first two years of every game, every down trying to prove to myself that I’m the guy for this team and I’m capable of doing it,” he said. “That’s sort of just been the case this year with some moments and I’ve got to learn from that.”

When the season ends in two weeks, the focus around Purdy will turn to his contract. He is finishing the third year of his four-year rookie contract that pays him less than $1 million a year. Purdy will be eligible this offseason for an extension that could pay him more than $50 million a year.