The San Francisco 49ers have done plenty of shuffling at the quarterback position this season, all due to injury, going from 2021 third-overall pick Trey Lance (fractured ankle), back to veteran Jimmy Garoppolo (broken foot), and now to their third-stringer, seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy. The transition has been seamless, as the 49ers finished the regular season on a 10-game winning streak, with the first five coming with Garoppolo as the starter and the last five with Purdy inserted into the lineup.
That success has earned the 2022 49ers the distinction of being the first team to have consecutive five-game winning streaks by different quarterbacks since the 14-0 Miami Dolphins did so in 1972, going from Earl Morrall to Bob Griese, according to NFL Research.
As the good times are continuing to roll with Purdy at the helm, San Francisco's quarterback merry-go-round is coming to halt for the rest of the season, even if Garoppolo is cleared to return by the NFC Championship or the Super Bowl, according to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer. If Garoppolo, the quarterback who started Super Bowl LIV for the 49ers when they lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, can return, it will be as Purdy's backup.
The decision appears to be sound, because from Weeks 14-18, when Purdy joined the starting lineup, the 49ers became the best offense in football, averaging 33.6 points per game with the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft co-leading the NFL in passing touchdowns. His 119.0 passer rating during that stretch is the second-best in a player's first five starts since at least 1950 -- behind only Hall of Famer Kurt Warner's 131.4 rating.
Brock Purdy from Weeks 14-18
| NFL Rank | ||
|---|---|---|
W-L | 5-0 | T-1st |
Team PPG | 33.6 | 1st |
Pass TD | 11 | T-1st |
Pass Yards/Att | 8.9 | 1st |
Passer Rating | 119.0* | 1st |
Purdy has kept the magic going in his first postseason start, leading the 49ers to a 41-23 rout of the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC wild-card round. He became the first rookie in NFL history with multiple passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in his first playoff game. He also became the fourth 49ers quarterback with three or more passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in a playoff game, joining Hall of Famer Joe Montana (1984), Jeff Garcia (2002), and Alex Smith (2011). Safe to say Purdy has the quarterback job in San Francisco locked down for as long as they're alive this postseason.
