The Detroit Lions' fanbase could be forgiven for waking up and feeling like the San Francisco 49ers' fanbase of the last several years.
Another year, another playoff disappointment, and lots of recrimations.
Niners fans, however, might be waking up with a clearer head, and it has a lot to do with recent data points around one of their biggest stories of the offseason.
You'd have to be living under a rock bigger than Alcatraz not to know that this offseason will likely bring about a lucrative, long-term extension for quarterback Brock Purdy. It's been on the cards since he broke into the lineup in 2022, and it finally makes sense for both team and player to sit down and hash it out.
Some of the 49ers fanbase seem to be under the impression that the team should keep "flexibility" with Purdy, i.e., negotiating a lower deal (even if it drags on late into the summer, like the team's Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk contract sagas), or possibly even 'keeping their options open' and looking at other quarterback options.
Honestly, though, the first two weeks of the NFL playoffs should've put this to rest, particularly quarterback Jared Goff's performance in the Detroit Lions' 45-31 divisional-round defeat to the Washington Commanders.
His bumbling one-touchdown, three-interception effort (including a lost fumble) contributed to a difficult night for Detroit, which suffered five turnovers in all.
There aren't many ways to win a playoff game with a stat line like that, and after a season of quasi-MVP hype for Goff, it represented a huge bump to earth for both him and his team.
If you want to look closer to home, then witness former 49ers backup quarterback Sam Darnold's utter meltdown last week where he could only lead his team to nine points and commit two turnovers, including a key one late in the game in the Minnesota Vikings' 27-9 loss to the Niners' NFC West rival, the Los Angeles Rams.
Both should stick out like a sore thumb in illustrating the ridiculousness of the discourse around Purdy's extension.
49ers fans have been told, and sometimes believe, that Purdy is a product of head coach Kyle Shanahan's system. While the whole notion of a "system QB" is flawed, to begin with, it looks increasingly ridiculous when pairing Purdy's success against those who are often more lauded than him.
If anything, someone like Goff looked a system product last night, but a system that had rapidly broken down; by the latter stages of the game, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson seemed to end up scheming around him, leading to a very strange playcall where wide receiver Jamo Williams threw an interception, capping an ugly night.
As for Darnold, he ultimately amounted to very little as a starting quarterback in the league before this season and seems to have largely benefitted from the stability of playing in similar offenses, first for Shanahan with the Niners, and later with Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota.
Neither has measured up to Purdy, statistically or consistently and certainly neither has the playoff success level that he does. While some doubt does seem to have crept in among the 49ers fanbase due to his difficult 2024 season, the negativity around him ignores the fact that he largely found himself carrying an offense shorn of weapons, suffering from poor playcalling, and dreadful offensive line play.
There's a reasonable argument the Niners only won the games they won because of Purdy, not despite him.
People who decry Purdy don't seem to understand how difficult it is to find a quarterback in the NFL. When you have one with his talent, track record, and leadership ability, finding someone better is not only hard but likely to be pricier than keeping a self-developed talent.
Finding one who consistently wins in the playoffs, too, as Purdy has done throughout his short pro career, is even more difficult.
So ultimately, through hell or high water, you should find the right number to keep him around.
Shanahan and general manager John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan, at least, seem to know that. But for anyone who was still questioning it, the last few weeks and especially Saturday night's game, have surely only brought that more into obvious focus.