The San Francisco 49ers will be playing for a spot in Super Bowl LVII this Sunday when they face the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.
It was recently hoped that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who has been out since suffering a foot injury in Week 13 of the regular season, would be available to return against the Eagles.
However, head coach Kyle Shanahan poured some cold water on that hope.
#49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Jimmy Garoppolo had X-rays and he does not expect to have him this weekend. No surprise, given he'll only be eight weeks out from his broken foot on Sunday.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 25, 2023
Ever since Garoppolo had his injury, Brock Purdy, the last player chosen in the 2022 NFL Draft, has filled in admirably while continuing the 49ers’ winning streak, which is now at 12, including their first two postseason victories.
Purdy has taken the league by storm, and although he wasn’t spectacular this past Sunday in the divisional round versus the Dallas Cowboys, he was very solid, converting 19 of 29 pass attempts and consistently coming through in third-down situations to keep moving the chains.
His play has had many of the Niners Faithful proclaiming him the team’s next franchise quarterback and perhaps the best signal-caller it has had since Steve Young.
Just five years ago, many of those same fans were saying the same thing about Garoppolo after San Francisco acquired him in a trade with the New England Patriots.
He immediately shortened what could’ve been a long rebuilding process and made the Niners a competitive team again. In just his third season with the team, he led it to a Super Bowl appearance.
This year’s 49ers are much better than their 2019 iteration, but they will have to get through an Eagles team that has looked like a juggernaut all year long.
However, if Purdy does just that, his budding legend will continue to grow.
NEXT: NFL Insider Shares Expected Jimmy Garoppolo Update