49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo out for season with broken left foot
SANTA CLARA -- The San Francisco 49ers lost quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a season-ending left foot injury Sunday, dealing a big blow to one of the NFL's top teams.
Garoppolo got hurt on the opening drive of a 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins and will need to undergo surgery that will sideline him for the remainder of the season.
"It's pretty crushing. We know what Jimmy's been through, how hard he's worked at this," coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game. "That was a really cool game, just as a team and all the stuff that went on throughout the game and just be able to overcome some things. So it's such a special win. But definitely mixed emotions hearing about Jimmy."
The first-place 49ers (8-4) have won five straight games to establish themselves as one of the top contenders in the NFC but now must go the rest of the way with untested rookie Brock Purdy after losing starter Trey Lance to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2.
This is the third time Garoppolo has had a season derailed by injury since joining the 49ers midway through the 2017 season. He went down with a season-ending knee injury in the third game of the 2018 season and missed eight games with ankle injuries in 2020.
RELATED: Purdy, defense lead 49ers to 33-17 win over Dolphins
One play after the injury, Robbie Gould converted a 47-yard field goal to pull the 49ers to 7-3.
San Francisco's defense then held the Dolphins to a 3-and-out. Purdy led the Niners to a 54-yard, 9-play scoring drive in his first significant action this year.
Purdy -- who as the last player taken in the 2022 NFL draft was given the moniker "Mr. Irrelevant" -- had thrown just nine passes this season in mop-up duty of a blowout loss to Kansas City in Week 7.
He capped off the drive with his first NFL touchdown pass -- a 3-yard scoring toss to Kyle Juszczyk for 10-7 49ers lead with 4:57 left in first quarter.
Garoppolo resumed his starting role for San Francisco in Week 2 this season after Trey Lance went down with a season-ending ankle injury.
After Miami was able to knot the contest at 10-10 with a 43-yard field goal, Purdy engineered a near picture perfect 2-minute drive to put the 49ers back up 17-10 with 4 seconds left in the half on a 3-yard scoring pass to Christian McCaffery.
He was 12-of-19 for 116 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the first half. Meanwhile, McCaffrey had 17 touches for 102 yards and a touchdown in the first half.
