Sports
Steve Young explains how 49ers QB Brock Purdy can run off with Super Bowl title
Nearly three decades ago, quarterback Steve Young passed for a record six touchdowns as the San Francisco 49ers won the last of their five Super Bowl championships.
Lost in the stat sheet of that 49ers’ rout of the Chargers was that Young, the preeminent mobile quarterback of his generation, also rushed for 49 yards.
On Sunday, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will lead the 49ers against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium.
In the NFC championship game, Purdy engineered a dramatic comeback victory over the Detroit Lions, passing for a touchdown but perhaps more importantly setting up two touchdowns with timely scrambles that helped him finish with 48 yards rushing.
Young, a Hall of Famer, said Purdy must again use his legs and deceptive speed if the 49ers are to defeat the Chiefs and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
When 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) sees an opening, he is not afraid to tuck the football and run for yardage.
(Scot Tucker / Associated Press)
“I said before the [NFC championship] game, if he could spit out 50 yards that would be great,” Young said. “I think the Super Bowl, at least 50, because he’s going to need to do that.”
Purdy, 24, was the last player selected in the 2022 draft. After 49ers quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance suffered injuries, Purdy ascended to the starting role for the final six games of his rookie season and helped lead the 49ers to the NFC championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Purdy suffered an elbow injury early in the game, however, and the 49ers lost, 31-7.
After undergoing surgery, there were doubts about whether Purdy would be ready to lead a team that was on a mission to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2019-20 season, when they lost to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.
But Purdy became a most valuable player candidate by passing for 31 touchdowns, with 11 interceptions, for a star-studded team that finished 12-5 and earned the top seed in the NFC.
Purdy led a comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round, and then did it again as the 49ers overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat the Lions.
Purdy’s two 21-yard scrambles keyed the 34-31 victory over the Lions.
“It was the difference between winning and losing,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said.
The 49ers trailed, 21-14, in the third quarter before Purdy’s run set up Christian McCaffrey’s game-tying touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, Purdy’s scramble set up Elijah Mitchell’s short touchdown run that increased the 49ers lead to 34-24.
“My job is to distribute the ball to guys that are open,” Purdy said afterward. “Then if something is not there, especially in this kind of game, you got to find a way. … I had to do it, so I did it.”
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young (8) ran for 49 yards in the Super Bowl against the San Diego Chargers.
(Andrew Innerarity / Associated Press)
That was similar to how Young operated under legendary 49ers coach Bill Walsh. Young said there were occasions he ran for touchdowns and Walsh scolded him for deciding to scramble before the play completely developed.
“It was all about whether you exhausted the play or not,” Young said, adding that Walsh would say, ‘When you go when you’ve exhausted it, then you’ve given the play its full measure. And that’s what the team needs, that’s what championship football needs.’”
The Chiefs know well the value of a quarterback that can make plays with his legs.
In their Super Bowl LVII victory over the Eagles last year, Mahomes passed for 182 yards and three touchdowns but also rushed six times for 44 yards, including a 26-yard run late in the fourth quarter that set up the game-winning field goal.
Purdy, at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, is not as big as the 6-2, 225-pound Mahomes or Buffalo’s 6-5, 237-pound Josh Allen, but he still can make plays.
“You have to make decisions,” Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said when asked about Purdy the runner. “Do you commit one pass rusher to him scrambling? If you don’t commit a guy like that, is he going to hurt you like he did in both playoff games?
“As effective as he is throwing and the weapons that he has, when you add the fact that he can tuck it and run, it makes it that much more challenging.”
Especially for defensive backs.
“Brock Purdy is definitely someone that people don’t look at as a great runner,” Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie said, “but when you flip on the tape, I mean, dude gets out of the pocket, dude knows how to get out of a DB’s tackle, get out of the arms of D-lineman.”
George Kittle, the 49ers’ star tight end said Purdy “scampers” when he breaks loose.
“You ever see one of those little water dragons run across the water?” Kittle said. “Like, that’s what I envision every time he’s running with the football.”
Shanahan said Purdy has a “natural ability” to know when to go off schedule and make a play. If Purdy is successful doing that against the Chiefs, the 49ers could win their first title since the 1994-95 season.
“No matter what happens,” Shanahan said, “he gives you a chance.”
Staff writer Sam Farmer contributed to this story.
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The PGA Tour has announced that it will not be hosting an event in Hawaii during the 2027 season, ending a 56-year run of holding a tournament in The Aloha State. The change comes as the Tour and CEO Brian Rolapp have consistently teased a revamped schedule beginning next year.
The Tour was forced to cancel The Sentry at the start of the 2026 campaign due to the dying grass on the Plantation Course at Kapalua amid a local dispute with the company responsible for delivering water to the area.
An aerial view of the golf course from over the ocean prior to The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on December 31, 2023 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)
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With The Sentry being canceled, the Sony Open at Waialae Country on Oahu served as the Tour’s season opener in ‘26, which was won by Chris Gotterup. The event was in the final year of its sponsorship, although the Tour has shared that it is working toward making the event the opening event on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.
Chris Gotterup of the United States celebrates with the trophy on the 18th green after his winning round of the Sony Open in Hawaii 2026 at Waialae Country Club on January 18, 2026 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images) (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
The Tour’s removal of The Sentry and the Sony Open wipes out what has now turned into a traditional two-week stretch on the island to begin a new season.
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The PGA Tour did not share further details about the 2027 schedule upon its announcement about leaving Hawaii, but with Sentry reportedly being an event title-sponsor through 2035, it will need to find a new landing spot on the calendar. The logical stop would be Torrey Pines in San Diego, which checks the West Coast and great weather boxes, but the venue is also looking for a new sponsor, as its deal with Farmers Insurance ended in 2026.
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View of the 18th hole is seen during the final round of The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on January 5, 2025 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
The Tour’s decision not to begin next season in Hawaii makes sense, as there are plenty of venues in the lower 48 states that are much easier to operate from, but the departure will have a tremendous financial impact on the state.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that The Sentry is estimated to have a $50 million annual impact on the community, while the Sony Open directly generates an estimated $100 million in revenue per year, plus another $1 million per year to Friends of Hawaii charities.
Martin Dugard is a prolific author and writer. He’s also an assistant cross-country coach at Santa Margarita after being head coach at JSerra for 15 years.
His newest book is “The Long Run,” which discusses the 1970s running boom and is a narrative history of four who sparked the marathon boom: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Grete Waitz.
He’s going to have a book signing on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 26751 Aliso Creek Rd., Aliso Viejo.
Don’t be surprised if he tries to run from Rancho Santa Margarita to his book signing.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
For years, Stephen A. Smith’s many football blunders have been easy enough to explain away.
He’s not an NFL guy (remember when he said the three key players for a game were three guys who weren’t playing in the game?)
Stephen A. Smith falsely claimed the Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since 2022, but Golden State reached the second round in both 2023 and 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
He’s definitely not a college football guy (remember when he called Jalen Milroe Jalen “Milroy” multiple times and then read the wrong stat line after a College Football Playoff game?).
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ESPN forces him into those conversations because First Take has to talk football, and Smith knows that football is the most popular sport in the country and he needs to be seen as an authority (even though he isn’t).
But Monday’s latest mistake is a lot tougher to excuse, because this time Smith wasn’t talking about the NFL or college football. He was talking about the Golden State Warriors, one of the defining NBA dynasties of the last decade.
In other words, he was talking about the sport and the league that’s supposed to be his bread and butter.
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While discussing whether Steve Kerr has coached his last game with Golden State, Smith confidently stated the Warriors “haven’t been back to the playoffs since that championship in 2022.”
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr looks on during a game against the Sacramento Kings. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
That’s not even close to true. Not only did Golden State make the playoffs last season, but they also reached the postseason in 2023. Last year, the Warriors made the playoffs, beat the Rockets in seven games and advanced to the second round before losing to the Timberwolves. In 2023, they beat the Sacramento Kings in the first round and before losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.
So, Smith wouldn’t even have been right if he said they haven’t won a playoff series since 2022. But he didn’t say that. He said they didn’t make the playoffs in any of the past four years, except they did it twice.
Yikes.
This is not an obscure piece of NBA trivia that Smith could be easily forgiven for not knowing. Perhaps he was too busy playing solitaire on his phone and just missed two of the past three NBA postseasons. That’s a tough look for the guy who fancies himself as the No. 1 NBA analyst in the country.
And it’s a terrible look for ESPN, as they keep selling Smith as one of the faces of their NBA coverage.
Stephen A. Smith made a brutal gaffe while talking Warriors playoff history
If Smith made this kind of mistake while talking about the NFL, nobody would be shocked. At this point, sports fans practically expect him to butcher football analysis. It’s almost endearing that a guy with the ego of Smith can be so consistently wrong while also delivering every “fact” with the utmost confidence. It’s part of the Stephen A. experience.
But this one hits differently because the NBA is where he’s supposed to at least know the basics. This is where Smith prides himself as being an authority figure.
Stephen A. Smith incorrectly stated the Golden State Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since their 2022 championship, despite the team reaching the postseason twice since then. (Candice Ward/Imagn Images)
And yet he couldn’t keep the recent playoff history of the Warriors straight. The team whose head coach is in the news every other week. The team that has won four championships since 2014. Arguably one of the most important franchises in the NBA over the past 15 years.
Yes, Golden State missed the playoffs in 2024 after getting bounced in the Play-In Tournament (although they won 46 games that season). And yes, it fell short again this season. But that’s a lot different from acting like Steve Kerr has spent four years wandering the basketball wilderness since winning that 2022 title.
He hasn’t. In fact, the team is 175-153 in the past four regular seasons.
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The Warriors made the second round in 2023. They made the second round again in 2025.
Before burying Steve Kerr on national television, maybe Stephen A. Smith could take 10 seconds to confirm whether the Warriors were actually, you know, in the playoffs.
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