San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan knows what Jimmy Garoppolo is.. and isn’t. Garoppolo, who was lost for at least the rest of the regular season (and probably more) to a foot injury in the 49ers’ 33-17 Week 13 win over the Miami Dolphins, is a perfectly acceptable distributor of the football in the right system. If you want deep shots, and tight-window throws over the middle, Garoppolo has never been that guy. It’s one reason the 49ers gave three first-round picks to the Dolphins before the 2021 draft to move up and select North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance with the third overall pick.
Sadly, Lance was lost in September to a fractured ankle, so when Garoppolo was hurt, the 49ers had to go with Iowa State rookie Brock Purdy, the last player selected in the 2022 draft, and thus, this year’s “Mr. Irrelevant.”
Purdy did well against Miami, completing 25 of 37 passes for 210 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 88.8. The tape showed that he needed to speed up his process at times, but also that he handled pressure well, and deciphered Miami’s multiple coverages and blitzes with surprising aplomb.
After the Dolphins game, Shanahan made a point to mention how much he appreciates Purdy’s fearlessness when it comes to taking deep shots.
“When he went in, he was just so aggressive in all his decisions,” Shanahan said. “He didn’t know a lot at first, but whatever he knew, he applied it and did it aggressively and never hesitated. And whenever you can see that clear, aggressive type of play in a quarterback, early on it was impressive and the more he has learned, I still feel like it hasn’t taken away from him.”
With a week to prepare, and going up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday, Purdy was able to speed up his clock, and on at least two occasions, he also continued his ability to take deep shots for big plays.
There was this 27-yard touchdown pass to running back Christian McCaffrey with 7:49 left in the first-half (26 air yards):
What a throw from Brock Purdy against the blitz. And I continue to be amazed with Christian McCaffrey’s ability as a WR. The route running and footwork is ELITE. That’s why I loved the trade pic.twitter.com/paMtvhzumT
— Chase Senior (@Chase_Senior) December 11, 2022
And, there was this 32-yard touchdown pass to receiver Brandon Aiyuk with 15 seconds left in the first half (28 air yards).
Brandon Aiyuk runs the filthiest routes pic.twitter.com/GguLumHBEj
— Nico (@elitetakes_) December 11, 2022
With that second touchdown pass, Purdy doubled Garoppolo’s season total of deep touchdown passes — in a game and a half.
Jimmy Garoppolo TDs of 20+ air yards this season: 1
Brock Purdy TDs of 20+ air yards today: 2
— Kyle Madson (@KyleAMadson) December 11, 2022
Any offensive shot-caller appreciates a quarterback who can unreservedly make big-time throws, especially when under pressure. As improbable has it has been, Purdy seems to be precisely that guy for Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers.
