SANTA CLARA – A rookie third-string quarterback is not the ideal navigator for a Super Bowl run.
Tough luck. That’s who will be directing the 49ers’ offense down the stretch, and Sunday showed they just might be stubborn enough, determined enough, and, yes, talented enough to keep chasing the Lombardi Trophy.
They forge ahead with Brock Purdy as that rookie QB — and without Jimmy Garoppolo, whose awkward yet brilliant renaissance this season came to an abrupt end just as the 49ers were getting started in Sunday’s 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Garoppolo sustained multiple fractures in his left foot when sacked on the 49ers’ opening possession. He will require season-ending surgery. Teammates, including emotional coach Kyle Shanahan, mourned his latest setback in a career checkered with them.
“We know what Jimmy’s been through, how hard he’s worked at this,” Shanahan said. “It’s such a special win, but definitely mixed emotions hearing about Jimmy. … (Purdy) did a real good job today and we’re gonna be ready to do our best to overcome this.”
Their NFL-best defense, Robbie Gould’s four field goals and some timely offensive plays helped them overcame Sunday’s loss of Garoppolo, who 2 1/2 months ago reclaimed his job once Trey Lance went down with a season-ending ankle fracture in the home opener.
Thus, the 49ers (8-4) kept their win streak intact, with this fifth straight victory preserving a one-game lead atop the NFC West, ahead of the Seattle Seahawks (7-3).
These 49ers are not a quarterback-reliant team, even if their franchise lore says otherwise. Defense dictates the direction of this trophy dash. The explosive Dolphins (8-4) seemingly imploded with four turnovers this game, the biggest coming on Nick Bosa’s third sack of the game — No. 14 1/2 this season to take the NFL lead — as it resulted in Dre Greenlaw’s fumble recovery for a 23-yard touchdown return with 1:53 to go.
Purdy had other helpers, too, namely Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey as they came through in timely fashion, as did Gould, who made all four of his field-goal attempts.
Next comes Purdy’s first start of a NFL career that began with him being the 262nd and final player drafted last spring. “Mr. Irrelevant” will next host Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6).
“It’s really cool. Dude’s been playing football longer than I’ve been alive,” Purdy, 22, said of Brady, 45. “Having the first start against the G.O.A.T. is pretty cool. I’ve just got to do my thing, be efficient and play football.”
Purdy played the past four seasons at Iowa State, going 1-3 in bowl games, with the lone season-ending win coming two years ago in the Fiesta Bowl. Without Lance and Garoppolo, the 49ers’ Super Bowl aspirations forge ahead with a quarterback depth chart topped by Purdy, then presumably Jacob Easton (a recent practice-squad addition), and, reportedly, the return of journeyman Josh Johnson.
“I’ve got all the confidence in world in Purdy,” Warner said. “At same time he doesn’t have to do too much. He has so many weapons and he just has to protect the football. He’s got savvy as a rookie, with no-look passes and putting the ball where it’s supposed to be. I feel he’s way advanced. He’s done a great job getting us ready defensively (on the scout team).”
“We still can do some things with Brock,” Juszczyk added.
Garoppolo, five years and one day since he made 49ers’ starting debut, hobbled off Levi’s Stadium grass with a fractured left foot, the result of a Dolphins’ defender squashing it into multiple pieces on a third-down sack on the 49ers’ opening possession.
“Man, it seems we’ve been down this road so many times. It’s truly unfortunate,” fullback Kyle Juszczyk said.
It’s an even-year jinx. In 2018, Garoppolo sustained a season-ending knee injury in Week 3. In 2020, he played only six games and missed the final two months because of high-ankle sprains. In 2022, his best football had the 49ers on a four-game win streak, and he exited without having any of his past 141 passes intercepted.
Bosa called Garoppolo’s latest injury “unavoidable.” They had what Bosa described as an emotional meeting in the locker room at halftime.
“It just stinks because I really felt him coming on even more so this year,” Bosa said. “He’s always been a great leader but I felt him really, really caring about this team and his part and obviously his big role as quarterback.”
In his most meaningful action as a pro, Purdy sometimes threw into tight windows with success, and sometimes he got wild, especially on third down.
Teammates said they were proud of Purdy’s relief performance (25-of-37, 210 yards, two touchdowns, one interception), but the 49ers’ most crucial throw came with six minutes left. That’s when Shanahan chucked his challenge flag over 20 yards onto the field to rightfully contest a fourth-down conversion catch by the Dolphins’ Mike Gesicki at the 49ers’ 33-yard line.
Just like last Sunday’s 13-0 shutout win over the Saints, the 49ers tried salting away the final minutes of victory with running plays, including a 30-yard cutback effort by McCaffrey to the 11-yard line. The Dolphins’ third sack of Purdy and a George Kittle holding penalty backed things up for Gould, but he banged in his fourth field goal in four attempts Sunday, this final one from 48 yards with 2:03 to go.
McCaffrey had 146 yards from scrimmage (80 receiving, 66 rushing) and Samuel had 58 yards on six receptions to key the 49ers’ offense.
Tagovailoa finished 18-of-33 for 295 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, with Tyreek Hill catching nine balls for 146 yards and one touchdown.
The 49ers’ bid for a fifth straight game with a second-half shutout came to an end early in the fourth quarter, which opened with a 19-yard catch by Hill and then a 45-yard touchdown grab by Hill, who raced past Charvarius Ward’s one-on-one coverage.
That cut the 49ers’ lead to 23-17 with 14:28 to go, and it gave Miami the momentum it couldn’t get in the third quarter.
Tua Tagovailoa had not thrown an interception in 193 passes before Jimmie Ward and Deommodore Lenoir snagged consecutive throws in the third quarter. The interceptions led to two Gould field goals, from 43 and 36 yards, to stake the 49ers to a 23-10 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Ten seconds into the game, the 49ers were down 7-0, having allowed former 49er Trent Sherfield to zip through their defense for a 75-yard catch-and-run touchdown on Tagovailoa’s quick strike. Safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. was one of several defenders caught out of place, as Sherfield sped past linebackers Warner and Azeez Al-Shaair, and safety Talanoa Hufanga.
“We didn’t flinch,” Warner said. “We came back to the sideline, and you can’t look at that emotionally. You see how to adjust.”
Nick Bosa notched a pair of third-down sacks before halftime to go with that game-sealing strip-sack. While that 49ers’ defensive line welcomed Arik Armstead back after a seven-game absence, it lost defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway to a pectoral injury in the fourth quarter.
Garoppolo’s injury, however, cast a familiar, dark cloud over a playoff-thirsty team.
“When you lose a starting quarterback, it puts more of a load on everybody,” Juszczyk said. “We all need to step up more to pick (Purdy) up in that area. We. Have a lot of talented people in our huddle. We’re ready for that challenge.”
