Sirianni has ‘a ton of respect' for Purdy playing through injury

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It wasn't the game he had hoped for, but Brock Purdy gave it his all on Sunday. 

The 49ers' rookie quarterback left with an elbow injury in the first quarter of San Francisco's 31-7 NFC Championship Game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, only to return in the third quarter unable to throw the ball further than 10 yards. 

In speaking to reporters after the game, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was asked about his initial reaction to Purdy's injury.

"He had the thing on his arm, so we figured he probably couldn't throw it down the field," Sirianni said. "We don't really truly know. We know they like to do some screens in that scenario because it's a short pass. We knew they were going to try and run it to keep them out of some danger there."

Although Purdy attempted just four passes in the game, Sirianni had much respect for the 23-year-old playing through such an agonizing injury. 

"I got a lot of respect for Brock that he came back in and fought," Sirianni added. "A ton of respect for him because, obviously, he was hurting bad.

"And that's what my former teammates at Iowa State said about the guy, that kid's a winner and he obviously showed a great toughness to come back in when his team was in a bind. But you don't know quite (what the 49ers were going to do) until you see the game plan unfolding a little bit. I think once you get them in third-and-mediums and stuff like that and they're not pushing it down the field, that kind of gives you an indication."

RELATED: Purdy set for MRI, couldn't throw after NFC title game injury

After taking over for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13, Purdy's improbable rise from Mr. Irrelevant to NFL star earned him the respect of his teammates, fans and many throughout the league. 

Despite the unfortunate circumstances that limited him throughout the game, Purdy showed enough heart to earn the respect of Sirianni and many others. 

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