PHILADELPHIA — For all of Kyle Shanahan’s genius this season — all of the mistakes, the confidence, the arrogance, and the winning — the NFL’s average laws suggested his quarterback bag had a bottom. The only question was whether the San Francisco 49ers head coach could dodge the moment, maybe escape it, trick it or magic it away and keep this unlikely role going.
But when the end finally came, the moment was as gruesome as it was final.
Brock Purdy, a rookie third-string turned savior, failed to throw. Fourth string Josh Johnson couldn’t play. Running back Christian McCaffrey was given a quarterback armband, and the 49ers were left with only two choices: keep Purdy in the game and let him pass the ball, or use his marquee running back as a centerpiece in a wildcat scheme. Either way, the Philadelphia Eagles had a monstrous defense that led 21-7 early in the third quarter of the NFC Championship game and had the ultimate advantage over a Shanahan offense. Not only was it completely one-dimensional, there were no longer any viable passing quarterbacks, it also ran out of options.
Suddenly this season, the Eagles had rammed the San Francisco depth chart into unseen territory. Two more quarterbacks were broken, and there was little more than a handful of air at the bottom of Shanahan’s bag. It’s the sort of thing that takes a legitimate Super Bowl contender and, in collective disbelief, reduces it to a roster that has players staring into the void of two more quarterback injuries and wondering what’s going on?
“I think everyone did it [think] das,” said 49ers tight end George Kittle after Sunday’s one-sided 7-31 loss to the Eagles. “You attract two quarterbacks and neither of them can throw and neither of them are really available. It limits what you can do as a criminal offense.
How limited? Kittle offered a finite number: 15 games, give or take. Basically, they all have some kind of walking element.
“There’s only so much you can do,” Kittle said. “As soon as Purdy came back they put six guys on the line of scrimmage and loaded the box. It’s not like we can do any game action or any of that, so we just had to hit it.”
The story goes on
Brock Purdy (13) was severely restricted as a quarterback on Sunday with an elbow injury. (Bill Streicher – USA TODAY Sports)
That game, of course, was a massive Eagles story. In fact, one of many. It was about a defense that has never received the hype it deserves and an edge-rusher in Haason Reddick who is undoubtedly the most underrated game disruptor of the 2022 season. It was about a quarterback in Jalen Hurts who looks like he has an injury and a general manager in Howie Roseman who masterfully recreated his second Super Bowl team with a different head coach and quarterback.
These are the stories that will make their way into Super Bowl LVII over the next two weeks. The 49ers ultimately won’t, undercutting one of the best defenses to miss the NFL’s biggest stage. Not to mention the end of Purdy’s picture-perfect rookie season, going from last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to becoming a legitimate contender to start for the franchise next season.
Perhaps it’s remarkable testament to Purdy that the 49ers’ offense faltered so badly in his absence, after Reddick scored on San Francisco’s first drive that eventually forced Purdy to fumble and change the game’s trajectory. While the exact nature of the injury remained unknown as of Sunday night, it was serious enough to require an MRI next week. It’s a reality that struck the quarterback almost immediately as he walked to the touchline and broke the worst news to Shanahan: He couldn’t shoot anymore.
“It just felt like a lot of shocks, from my elbow to my wrist [the] the back [of my arm]’ Purdy said. “Just pain, everywhere. … I told him right away [after the Reddick hit]’If we’re doing a play, I can’t throw low.’”
And that was it. With all due respect to journeyman Josh Johnson, the balance of momentum seemed destined to lose as the game progressed. Which it did, though McCaffrey tied for a 7-7 on a 23-yard TD run in the second quarter. It was only a matter of time before an elite Eagles defense would prevail and turn the tables on a 49ers team that had been beating opponents all season. When Johnson was eventually lost to concussion early in the third quarter — 14 points adrift — the only option left was to bring Purdy and his severed throwing arm back into the game to relinquish him and hope for a miracle that never happened came close to realization.
With that, the rookie quarterback who had taken San Francisco’s offense to a level worthy of a Super Bowl run was gone. And with it, Shanahan’s consolation in opening up his entire playbook against a ferocious opponent. It was a moment that was one of the strangest and probably one of the most disappointing in Shanahan’s history as he took his place alongside a Super Bowl loss as offensive coordinator with the Atlanta Falcons and then head coach of that 49ers. Neither felt as toothless as this one.
There was visible bitterness as Shanahan walked off the field alongside his team on Sunday, jaw clenched. His eyes were steeled for a forward gaze, he never paid attention to people walking past offering muffled nods. It was the kind of exchange you’d expect when a head coach makes three NFC title games in four years but still hasn’t managed to crack the calculus required to win a Super Bowl. A guy who will be voted Coach of the Year and maybe even win the award for the first time in his career, mostly for finding his way out of quarterback messes all season.
“Guys are pretty down there,” Shanahan said after the loss. “We were really looking forward to today. … I wish we had a slightly better opportunity than today.”
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan walks off the field after the NFC Championship loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s the second straight season the 49ers have missed the Super Bowl by a win. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Kittle added, “How does it feel to lose an NFC championship game because I don’t have a quarterback? Pretty shit to be honest.”
For the most part, the one-sided nature of the loss will eliminate some of the second guessing that might have occurred had the game been closer. A 24-point loss tends to stun questions about penalties, depth chart decisions, and blocking schemes (like the one where tight end Tyler Kroft was trying to block Reddick when the Purdy hit happened). Eventually, the nature of injuries can bury a team, and it’s fair to say that’s what happened with the 49ers’ offense.
But that won’t remove the question of where that defense would have settled had Purdy not been injured, or what this edition of the 49er would have been capable of. It’s destined for change now, as are all NFL teams when their season ends — they lose players and assistants, coaches and front-office staff. San Francisco will be no different as the offseason turns to defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans’ contracts and future. Not to mention the questions of how serious Purdy’s arm injury is and what that means for future competition for the quarterback spot with Trey Lance.
Ultimately, that will be the focus of this franchise. But only after it got past the what-if questions: What if Purdy’s arm had survived Sunday’s hit? What if Jimmy Garoppolo had been healthy enough to step back into the substitute spot? What if Johnson got a real chance to see if Shanahan could stage something with his fourth signal caller of the season? At some point, the franchise will have to get past these issues, and the coaching staff and roster will have to get back on the same path.
Kittle summed it up Sunday night, speaking for a franchise that had finally run out of quarterback answers in the 2022 season.
“What if we pollute our whole lives in some way if we don’t achieve our goals,” he said. “I try not to look at the what-ifs. S*** happened. How will you react to that?”