The 2022 49ers are going to go as far as Brock Purdy can take them.
That’s the news on Sunday evening, after 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that Jimmy Garoppolo will undergo season-ending foot surgery after being carted off in the 33-17 win over the Dolphins.
“Broke a few things in there, so real unfortunate to have that obviously,” Shanahan said.
“Just hearing it, it was pretty crushing. We know what Jimmy’s been through, how hard he’s worked at this. I got the news in the second quarter, so it was a little different for me, even how happy we were with that game. That was a really cool game just as a team, all the stuff that went on throughout the game, to just be able to overcome some things, it was just a special win. But definite mixed emotions hearing about Jimmy. I told the guys after the game, so I know that gave them some mixed emotions too.
“It was a hell of a job by Brock, coming in and stepping up. He did a real good job today. We’re going to ready to be doing our best to overcome this.”
Shanahan said that general manager John Lynch and the personnel department have already started discussing what to do for a backup quarterback, now that Garoppolo joins Trey Lance as two rostered QBs who will not return this season. Shanahan confirmed that Lance has no chance to play again this year. Jacob Eason is currently the only QB on the practice squad.
It’s a brutal blow for Garoppolo, who was playing some of the best football of his career before going down, his second major injury as a member of the 49ers. It’s also brutal for the 49ers, who have cemented themselves in recent weeks as one of the top teams in the NFC.
Now we will see if that remains true with Purdy at the helm. A win over the playoff-bound Dolphins was certainly a good start.