One of the Vikings NFC Foes Has Lost Their QB for the Season
The NFC playoff picture has been setting up for a couple weeks now, and a matchup that has begun to seem inevitable is the Minnesota Vikings taking on the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round, assuming the two teams make it that far.
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However, those plans may begin to change soon as the 49ers have lost their starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo for the rest of the season. During the 49ers Week 13 matchup with the Miami Dolphins, Garoppolo suffered a broken foot, which will officially end his season.
In his stead, it was Brock Purdy, a rookie seventh-round pick, that took his place for the remainder of the game. Purdy played his college ball at Iowa State from 2018-2021, and he recorded 12,170 passing yards, 81 TDs, and 33 INTs over the course of 48 career games.
Heading into Week 13, Purdy had appeared in 3 games, but the only time he threw passes was in Week 7’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. In that game, the rookie QB completed 4-of-9 passes for 66 yards and an interception.
However, this week Purdy played fairly well in relief of Garoppolo. In the 33-17 victory over the Dolphins, the seventh-round pick completed 25-of-37 passes for 210 yards, a pair of touchdowns, and an interception. Unless the Niners decide to sign a free agent this week, it appears that Purdy will be the starter for the rest of the year.
Throughout this entire season, the QB position has been a topic of controversy for San Francisco. Initially, this was because of Trey Lance, who the Niners selected third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft despite having Jimmy Garoppolo on their roster.
Lance began the season as San Francisco’s starter, but he broke his ankle in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks; an injury that also ended his season. In came Garoppolo, and since then, he’s been the 49ers starting QB once again leading up to his own season-ending injury.
It’s rare enough for one seventh-round rookie to find his way into the starting lineup, especially at QB, but if the Vikings do end up meeting Purdy and the 49ers in the playoffs, it will actually be the second time they’ve faced such a QB. The first came against the Miami Dolphins in Week 5, who started Skylar Thompson against Minnesota.
Either way, the road to and through the playoffs just got significantly harder for the 49ers, despite their 8-4 record. It also may have gotten easier for the Vikings.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.