Cam Newton goes from critic to unlikely Brock Purdy ally

Cam Newton came to the defense of Brock Purdy in the immediate aftermath of his Super Bowl defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Former NFL MVP Cam Newton doesn't think that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy should shoulder the blame for his team's 25-22 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Instead, he thinks that the bulk of the blame should go to the coaching staff.

“The 49ers, they were just trying to get points,” Newton said. “And that is not Brock Purdy’s fault, that’s bad coaching. There was too many people who was exposed. They didn’t know the real rules of overtime.

“We’re not understanding how serious this is," he added. "The fact that they weren’t addressed to what the rules were, that’s Steve Wilks, that’s Shanahan, that’s John Lynch, that’s the 49ers organization, and that’s not Brock Purdy’s fault. He played good enough for his team to win. He made plays and he made plays in times of need as well.”

Cam Newton has a point about Brock Purdy

Newton certainly has a point when it comes to the 49ers not knowing the exact rules when it comes to a playoff football game. The fact that Niners players publicly admitted to being uninformed about the rules certainly makes Kyle Shanahan and the entire coaching staff look bad.

On the other sideline, the well-coached Chiefs were well-versed with the rules, and that difference was a major factor in the ultimate outcome of the game.

When it comes to Purdy's play, the 49ers quarterback wasn't amazing by any stretch of the imagination, but he wasn't bad, either. He completed 23 of his 38 total pass attempts for 255 yards. He also tossed a touchdown, and didn't turn the ball over.

So, while it's fair to say that it's not Purdy's fault that the 49ers lost the game, it's also fair to say that he didn't do enough over the course of the contest to elevate his team to victory. Meanwhile. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes did, and that's why he walked away with his third Super Bowl ring.