When San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo went down with a foot injury in Week 13 that will all but end his season, many assumed that the team’s Super Bowl hopes were dead.
In came Brock Purdy, the last player chosen in April’s NFL Draft, to fill in for Garoppolo under center.
Purdy played a solid game last Sunday versus the Miami Dolphins, completing 25 of 37 passes, two of which resulted in touchdowns, in a 33-17 win.
Brock Purdy is officially the first Mr. Irrelevant to ever throw a touchdown pass in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/bxEyRGPjO9
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) December 4, 2022
He was arguably even better this Sunday against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, going 16 of 21 and throwing two touchdown passes as the 49ers dominated the Bucs, 35-7.
Is it possible that Purdy could take San Francisco to the promised land and get it its sixth world championship?
The 49ers Are Set Up Very Well
The Niners have the NFL’s best defense, which starts with perhaps the league’s best pass rusher in Nick Bosa and includes a stud middle linebacker in Fred Warner, a solid cornerback in Charvarius Ward, and perhaps a rising star in safety Talanoa Hufanga.
On offense, they love to run the ball through Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and Elijah Mitchell (who is currently out with a sprained MCL), and they also have weapons in the air in Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and tight end George Kittle.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan is regarded as a bright offensive mind, just as his father Mike Shanahan was.
All that’s needed is a solid, if not a great, QB in order to run the show.
It’s too early to tell if Purdy is definitely a good signal-caller, or if his success thus far is fool’s gold.
But if what he has shown is real and sustainable, the 49ers seem to have a real shot at making it back to the NFC Championship Game.
From there, it will depend on how well Purdy deals with the pressure of high-leverage playoff situations, as well as how healthy the rest of the team is.
One thing is for sure: The 49ers will have some tough decisions to make at QB this offseason, but those decisions are the type that many other teams wish they had to make.
NEXT: Did The 49ers Make A Mistake By Not Claiming Baker Mayfield?