JOSH DUBOW, Associated Press
3 months ago
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (center) is tackled by Miami Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker (left) and linebacker Jaelan Phillips (15) during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif. Sunday, December 4, 2022. dismissed (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers on Sunday lost quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a season-ending left foot injury, dealing a major blow to one of the NFL’s top teams.
Garoppolo was injured in the opening drive of a 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins and will undergo surgery that will sideline him for the remainder of the season.
“It’s pretty devastating. We know what Jimmy went through, how hard he worked at it,” said coach Kyle Shanahan after the game. “It was a really cool game, just being a team and all the things that happened during the game and just being able to overcome some things. So it’s a special win. But definitely mixed feelings when I heard from Jimmy.”
The first-place 49ers (8-4) have won five straight games to establish themselves as one of the top contenders in the NFC, but now have to go the rest of the way with untested rookie Brock Purdy after becoming starters Trey Lance lost in one season. End of ankle injury in week 2.
This is the third time Garoppolo has had an injury-related season since joining the 49ers mid-season in 2017. He went down in the third game of the 2018 season with a season-ending knee injury and missed eight games in 2020 with ankle injuries.
In Garoppolo’s two healthy seasons, the Niners went to the Super Bowl in 2019 and the NFC title game in 2021.
But his story led to the Niners trading three first-round picks to draw Lance third overall in 2021. Garoppolo kept his job last year but was expected to continue this season before an off-season shoulder surgery destroyed his trade market.
He ended up returning to San Francisco on a reduced contract to support Lance, but regained his role as a starter when Lance was injured. He played the best football of his career.
“It’s brutal,” said running back Christian McCaffrey. “I haven’t been here long, but I can’t say enough good things about him. I’ve been in that position before where you play and get excited and it all ends for the year. It hurts.”
Now the Niners will look to go the rest of the way with Purdy, who came to the league as Mr. Irrelevant after being made the final draft pick but now has the most important job on one of the league’s top teams .
The former Iowa State star had thrown just nine passes on cleanup duty in a Week 7 loss to Kansas City before quarterbacks coach Brian Griese told him he would be in the spotlight on Sunday.
“I feel like it was a little bit like that, the whole butterfly feeling of ‘man, let’s go in, let’s do this,'” Purdy said. “It wasn’t like I was out there shaking like, ‘Oh shoot, what am I supposed to do? What is my reading?’ None of them. Every week I pretend to be the starter. I prepare like I’m the starter. My name was called. Coach Griese said let’s roll.”
Purdy threw a touchdown pass and another to McCaffrey to Kyle Juszczyk on his first drive to cap a well-executed two-minute practice late at halftime.
He finished 25 for 37 for 210 yards with two TDs and an interception against an aggressive Miami defense that tried to throw him off balance with blitzes.
“Brock played a lot of football and you can tell,” said Juszczyk. “The way he’s playing the position, there’s a certain smartness about him. He understands. He has faith in him. I thought he did a really good job in the huddle today, just gaining everyone’s respect and getting the games in and out and delivering some confident passes out there. I think we can definitely still do something with Brock.”
Purdy joins a team composed of one of the league’s best defenses, led by Nick Bosa, who had three sacks on Sunday, and a strong group of playmakers led by McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk.
Purdy passed his first test, but it only gets tougher from here.
“We obviously have to clean up a few things, but just throw him into the heat of the moment with how much[Blitzen]this team has done,” Shanahan said. “I thought he did a damn good job and protected the ball well.”
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