San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) throws under pressure against Miami Dolphins' Jaelan Phillips (15) in the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
SANTA CLARA – This 49ers team is destined for a finish like no other. Boom or bust? Yes. Yikes.
They’re on their third quarterback, and, yet, they’re also on a five-game win streak.
They’ve got five games to go, before what still should be a third playoff trip in four years.
They’re not necessarily cooked because Jimmy Garoppolo’s foot fracture Sunday ended his season, 2 ½ months after Trey Lance’s ankle fracture ended his.
Their defense is superb, so these quarterback exits could magnify how great Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Charvarius Ward, Jimmie Ward and Talanoa Hufanga can become.
Before sharing the top 10 things that caught my eye in Sunday’s 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins, a GPS tracker is needed for their NFL status. Leading the NFC West with an 8-4 record is prideful. The next three games are crucial, all against NFC playoff contenders: Sunday vs. Tampa Bay; Thursday night, Dec. 15 at Seattle; Christmas Eve day vs. Washington.
Sorry, but this is all just so weird. Or so special.
Garoppolo’s exit should invite familiar dread (see: 2018, ’20). Only, it’s not.
They’re still on a heater, still in first place, still in control of their own destiny with all-stars galore, aside from the one position this franchise traces so much of its Lombard Trophy shine. Thing is, those five championship teams had a top-10 defense. The 49ers’ is No. 1 – with six games to assist (not necessarily carry) their top-10 offense.
The Kyle Shanahan Variety Show lives to play another day.
OK, on with the Top 10 things I saw Sunday:
10. QB OPTIONS
Before addressing the rookie left in the room (Brock Purdy), let’s acknowledge what you’re all thinking: What veterans can come to the rescue?
Re-signing Josh Johnson for his fourth tour of Niners duty seems like prudent insurance, but not savior status. Drew Brees? That is a name an Instagram follower lobbed in my postgame show, and all due respect, I can’t envision that, unless lightning strikes me down.
Alex Smith, are you ready to go full circle and ditch those ESPN cameos? Philip Rivers, you there? Colin Kaepernick, your name is on the tip of some tongues, just not anyone who’d seriously consider ending your six-year exile.
This playoff run does not hinge on a quarterback. It’s on the defense, the special teams, and the offensive players surrounding the quarterback.
9. GAROPPOLO’S FUTURE
That third-down sack, in which Jaelan Phillips’ left knee smashed to pieces Garoppolo’s left foot, will reverberate beyond this game.
This may seem crass but the 49ers could have a better shot at retaining Garoppolo now than had he hit free agency fully healthy, after the best season in his career, which had been his path. Instead of cashing in with a multi-year contract and a nicely guaranteed purse, Garoppolo could be handcuffed to another one-year, incentive-laden deal like he accepted to return this season.
Key stat: The 49ers are 38-17 in Garoppolo’s starts, 9-29 without him since 2017. Garoppolo left the stadium in the third quarter to go home, Shanahan said, and that seems a like curious exit; Nick Bosa said he had an emotional exchange with Garoppolo at halftime, and several players shared their frustration on behalf of “Jim,” which is what teammates and family routinely call him while media and outsiders perpetuate the “Jimmy G” persona.
8. INTERCEPTION HAT TRICK
The 49ers set a season-high with three interceptions in a game, the first two of which came against Tua Tagovailoa, who threw too many wild pitches. He went 192 passes without an interception, dating back to Week 4, before back-to-back throws were picked off by Jimmie Ward (intended target Jeff Wilson stumbled) and Deommodore Lenoir (behind and off Tyreek Hill’s hand). Fred Warner got interception No. 3 off Skylar Thompson, the Dolphins’ backup with Teddy Bridgewater inactive. Those are the 49ers’ most interceptions in a game since they got four in New England in 2020 (three off Cam Newton, who’s now available, too).
7. RUN GAME’S VALUE
The 2019 team zoomed to the Super Bowl with Garoppolo completing 6-of-8 passes for 77 yards in the NFC Championship Game win. Those stats will be shouted over the next two months, because the 49ers again could rely on their run game to move their offense for just enough points.
Jordan Mason averaged 6.4 yards per carry this game (51 yards, eight carries) and ran with urgency. Christian McCaffrey ran into too many bodies, until he reversed course on a 30-yard run late in the game to highlight his day (66 yards, 17 carries). That 1-2 punch can work. Meanwhile, Elijah Mitchell is on injured reserve, Ty Davis-Price is invisible, and Teven Coleman is in the practice-squad bullpen.
6. LINE THOUGHTS
Edge rushers raced past the offensive tackles to sack the quarterback and cause a season-ending injury. That figured to happen to the Dolphins as they did not suit up their would-be starting tackles. Rather, Garoppolo got hurt when, first, Jerome Baker dashed untouched past Trent Williams (who was engaged inside), then Phillips rushed past Mike McGlinchey.
It was a four-man rush, and the 49ers had a breach. It cost them their veteran quarterback.
Right guard Spencer Burford missed his first NFL game, and Daniel Brunskill returned to his old starting spot. Jake Brendel’s shotgun snaps sometimes seem to float too long, and that’s just an observation.
5. GOULD’S IRE
Robbie Gould, 39, morphed into the “Get Off My Lawn!” guy. He’s had enough with post-kick antics of defensive big-timers like Jalen Ramsey and, now, Bradley Chubb. In response, Gould banged through his four field-goal attempts this game, icing things with a 48-yarder to make it a two-score game.
Gould’s 15 points Sunday moved him into the No. 10 spot on the NFL all-time leading scorer list, with 1,919 points overall. He’s closing in next on John Kasay (1,970 points) and Jason Elam (1,983 points).
4. LINEBACKER WOO
One of the cool things about opposing a coach who knows you well (see: Mike McDaniel) is to expose potential weaknesses. The Dolphins made a concerted effort to pass over Warner in the middle of the field, with mixed results. Warner finished with three tackles, two passes defensed and the interception of Thompson, All-Pro Fred’s first this season and fourth in his career.
“Big Play Dre” Greenlaw returned. He provided the final points on a fumble return for a touchdown after Nick Bosa’s strip-sack fumble. Greenlaw also had a team-high eight tackles.
Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans was a play-making linebacker in his day, and his influence is noticeable (as is veteran linebacker coach Johnny Holland’s).
3. OFFENSE’S GO-TO GUY
Is McCaffrey or Deebo Samuel more valuable to this offense? Each made massive contributions to help Purdy cover for Garoppolo’s exit. This does not have to be an either-or debate. Rather, the 49ers simply need both to spur their offense in critical times.
Purdy showed guts but also trust by threading passes to Samuel in tight coverage, and he also knew what a reliable receiver McCaffrey is, even after a drop in the end zone.
This is not to say that George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and others are second-rate contributors. It takes a village and they all helped this game. McCaffrey and Samuel are All-Pro talents who Purdy or any quarterback is lucky to have.
2. MAKING BOSA MAD
Nick Bosa’s three sacks catapulted him into the NFL lead with 14½ this season. Shanahan said it felt like Bosa’s best game, and he then took partial credit by saying he “kind of messed with the D-line and Bosa last night, telling them that I thought the linebackers outperformed them last week. I thought they would smile at it, but he didn’t smile at all. And right after that last sack where Dre scooped and scored, he came right up to me.”
Bosa said he told Shanahan: “Don’t talk (crap) about me anymore. Or talk more (crap).”
Shanahan’s response: “I’ll make a note. I’ll make sure to do it a lot more.”
It’s another example why Bosa will earn the largest contract ever for an NFL defender in the coming months from the 49ers.
1. PURDY GOOD
Purdy completed 67.6 percent of his passes in this game. He completed 67.7 percent in four seasons at Iowa State.
He threaded some to Deebo Samuel. He air-mailed others. He panicked his way into a couple of deep sacks. He’s a rookie, but he’s been a scout-team competitor against the NFL’s top unit.
“He played against the best defense in the league for the past 13 weeks, so he’s going to be fine,” Warner said.
With Garoppolo gone, among those available for counsel to Purdy were not only his coaches but Lance.
He celebrated his second touchdown pass (to McCaffrey) by pretending to shoot a pistol, as if he was in a Western movie, featuring a showdown sequel with the rival Seahawks soon (the champion Rams lost a sixth straight).
Shanahan liked how Purdy showed guts, which the young quarterback described as “throwing fear out the window and just going out and play. Like, I don’t know if I would’ve ever had an opportunity again to play in the NFL, you know, depending on how it goes.”
The narrator of his future documentary. “And just like that, the 2021 NFL Draft’s ‘Mr. Irrelevant,’ the 262nd and final selection, became quite relevant to the 49ers’ Super Bowl hopes.”
Originally published at Cam Inman