The San Francisco 49ers have not lost a game since Brock Purdy became the starting quarterback after Jimmy Garoppolo went down with a broken foot in December. With the way Purdy has played, there was no sense to rush Garoppolo back nor turn the reins of the team over to him if he did return.
So what is the status of Garoppolo's injury? Is he close to coming back?
When asked about his injury Friday, Garoppolo said to The Athletic his status is "still up in the air" should the 49ers advance to the Super Bowl. If San Francisco does win the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers have essentially decided to ride with Purdy for Super Bowl LVII and Garoppolo would be the No. 2 quarterback.
All 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has mentioned regarding Garoppolo's status was that he "didn't expect him available this week." The 49ers have moved on to Purdy for the postseason run, as the rookie has completed 67.1% of his passes for 1,374 yards with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions for a 107.3 passer rating in his nine games (five starts). Purdy has also won both his postseason starts, completing 62.7% of his passes for 546 yards with three touchdowns to no interceptions and an 109.9 passer rating.
Garoppolo went 7-3 in his 10 starts for the 49ers, completing 67.2% of his passes for 2,437 yards with 16 touchdowns to four interceptions for a 103.0 passer rating. His numbers are similar to Purdy's, but the 49ers are likely to move on from Garoppolo at the end of the season as he will be a free agent.
This is Purdy's team now, but having Garoppolo as an insurance policy isn't a bad thing.
