49ers' rookie quarterback Brock Purdy led the 49ers to a 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins and will be the starter going forward.
SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy exited the media room and approached a cheering fan base to sign a few autographs, the sudden focal point of the hopes and dreams of a 49ers franchise that expects to go to the Super Bowl.
That expectation took a big hit when Jimmy Garoppolo went down with a broken foot in the first quarter that will end his season. His teammates knew by halftime of a 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins when they made their way into the training room to see Garoppolo and get the bad news.
When Garoppolo went down on the opening drive on a sack by Jerome Baker and Jaelen Phillips, 11:22 remained in the fourth quarter. Robbie Gould came in to kick a 47-yard field goal, and from that point on the day — and potentially the season — belonged to the last pick in the NFL Draft.
“There was the whole butterfly thing, but like, ‘Let’s do this,’” Purdy said after the first meaningful action of his NFL career. “It wasn’t like I was out there shaking like, ‘Shoot, what do I do? What’s my read?’ There wasn’t any of that. Every single week I prepare like I’m the starter. I was like, `OK, we have to do this on the first play.’”
Purdy was 25 of 37 for 210 yards with a pair of 3-yard touchdown passes to Kyle Juszczyk and Christian McCaffrey. HIs only turnover came on a fourth-and-5 play in Miami territory, an interception that served as a punt.
The transfer of plays from coach Kyle Shanahan to Purdy wasn’t always smooth. He didn’t always get rid of the ball as quickly as he should. But Purdy wasn’t intimidated and he had a lot of help from his friends.
In the end, he managed a game much like Garoppolo has so many times. Make some efficient, clutch throws. Get the ball to his playmakers. Be a leader.
Just before halftime, Purdy took the 49ers on an 11-play, 76-yard drive culminating in the touchdown pass to McCaffrey. The 49ers got the ball with 2:48 to play at their own 24. Included was a 19-yard strike to tight end George Kittle against a full-on blitz on a third-and-10 play to the Miami 46.
With Garoppolo out and the Dolphins sensing fresh meat, Purdy was blitzed early and often and he never flinched. Some of Purdy’s best throws came through small windows against tightly-guarded receivers.
“I learned that in the preseason from Brock,” Kittle said. “He’s got some cojones to him. If you’re not confident, guys feel that.”
Kittle said Purdy was talking with players on the sidelines, telling them what he saw, how he could do better and put them in a better position.
Purdy’s sense of confidence gained through four years of being a starter at Iowa State was something that endeared him to Shanahan and G.M. John Lynch when they elected to cut projected backup Nate Sudfeld even though he’d been paid a $1 million bonus.
“Brock came in and made some big plays,” Shanahan said. “He’s got some balls out there. Forgive me for saying it that way . . . just throwing him in there in the heat of battle, with all the zero (coverage) that team did, we were having to change a lot of stuff on the fly. They were putting a lot of pressure on him and I thought he did a hell of a job.”
It’s apparent Purdy isn’t thrilled with the whole “Mr. Irrelevant” label that goes with the last pick in the draft. But he was thankful for being selected and has played enough football to know the score.
“I’ve always had confidence and belief in myself that I can play at this level,” Purdy said. “It’s football. I played four years as a starter so I know the speed of the game. I’ve had a lot of experience. To get in and play and start next week, it’s something I’ve always looked forward to. But I’ve always told myself it’s going to happen.”
Purdy understands it was far from perfect.
“I’m excited that we won, but I expect a lot out of myself,” Purdy said. “I’m a perfectionist and that’s how the game is. You’re not going to be perfect. Just because we won doesn’t mean I’m on Cloud 9. I want to get better and I have to for this team moving forward.”
During the week, Purdy talked about the experience of being the scout team quarterback and playing against the 49ers’ top-ranked defense.
“He’s very mature the way he plays the game,” linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair said. “I told him in training camp that as Mr. Irrelevant, he had to make a name for himself. To me, that’s a slap in the face. I told him to keep that chip on his shoulder. I think he’s got a high ceiling and I’m proud of the way he played today.”
Defensive end Nick Bosa said it’s difficult to tell how a player will play in a game as opposed to a practice but has liked what he’s seen of Purdy.
“Whenever he’s gotten his shot he looked like he had some dog in him,” Bosa said. “I love his mindset. He’s super tough. He’s not afraid to make mistakes. He gets playmakers the ball. He’s our guy now, so we’ve got to roll.”
Purdy, who had played previously in the regular season only in mop-up duty of a 44-23 loss to Kansas City, will get his first NFL start against none other than Tom Brady at Levi’s Stadium against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I think it’s really cool,” Purdy said. “Dude’s been playing football longer than I’ve been alive.”
