Ever since San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a foot injury in their Week 13 contest against the Miami Dolphins, Brock Purdy, his replacement, has set the world on fire.
The last player chosen in the 2022 NFL Draft has kept the team’s winning streak alive, and it has now won 11 games in a row, including its wild-card playoff-round victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
But Garoppolo has been vigorously rehabbing his injury, and he could be ready to return for the NFC Championship Game, should San Francisco make it that far.
49ers’ HC Kyle Shanahan said Jimmy Garoppolo has an “outside chance” to be ready for the NFC Championship Game if San Francisco were able to advance to it, but that “there’d be a better chance” for him to be ready for the Super Bowl if the 49ers could get that far.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 21, 2023
For the 49ers to even get that far, they will first have to defeat their bitter rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, in Sunday’s divisional-round game.
The Cowboys will be the stiffest test they have faced since Purdy took over, as they finished 12-5, just one game worse than the 49ers, and finished in the top five in both points scored and allowed.
The Iowa State University product looked impressive last week against the Seahawks, despite putting forth a mediocre first half.
He finished with three touchdown passes and an additional touchdown run while throwing for a total of 332 yards and posting a passer rating of 131.5.
Don’t Expect Garoppolo To Get Onto The Field
49ers fans have been split by the quarterback controversy the team has had over the past several months, and some would seemingly still love to see Garoppolo be reinstalled as the starter should the team advance.
However, all indications are that he will be Purdy’s backup if and when he should return.
That would seem to make sense, especially if Purdy has another strong showing against the Cowboys, as it would make no sense to go away from what has worked for the last several weeks.
NEXT: Has Brock Purdy Already Won The QB Battle For 2023?