The San Francisco 49ers will host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, and the last time they hosted the Dolphins was a turning point in 49ers history. That was when injuries thrust Brock Purdy into the starting quarterback role. Fans had seen Purdy take the field before, either in mop-up duty (Arizona Cardinals) or when the game was out of reach (Kansas City Chiefs), but they hadn’t seen him when a game was in contention.
Many remember the following week’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where Purdy
outplayed Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. While it wasn’t as flashy as that game, Purdy’s entrance to the field showed one important thing: he belonged.
The 49ers already lost their starting quarterback, Trey Lance, two games into the season. Jimmy Garoppolo, who the 49ers replaced Lance with to start that offseason, stepped in without a hitch and things continued. The Dolphins game began with the visitors getting a touchdown from a pass to Trent Sherfield. Garoppolo took the 49ers down the field for their first drive, leading to a field goal after a third-down sack.
The sack was Garoppolo’s last play in a 49ers uniform.
The next drive, Brock Purdy, a player who began as the No. 3 quarterback at the beginning of the year, was next man up under center. No one knew then, but he wasn’t giving that job back. Not to Lance, not to Garoppolo, not to anybody.
On his first drive, Purdy had a few errant passes. Some analysts during the game suggested Kyle Shanahan lacked trust in calling anything sophisticated for the rookie. Regardless, he drove the 49ers down the field and hit Kyle Juszczyk for a touchdown to give the 49ers the lead. It’s a touchdown; there’s nothing bad about that, but there wasn’t anything defining either. Just the same things we’ve seen with Jimmy G.
The next 49ers offensive drive ended in an interception. Purdy stared down Brandon Aiyuk, and the Dolphins defense knew where the ball was going. Rookie mistake, the last pick in the draft. It’s hard not to anticipate these mistakes.
What is notable is the drive after. That’s the statement. During the two-minute drill, Purdy took the 49ers down the field (with a nice QB sneak on a fourth down) and hit George Kittle just before getting drilled.
It’s not the play that says Purdy is the starting quarterback, but it is a play to show that this rookie, Mr. Irrelevant, can hang in the NFL.
There wouldn’t be any more offensive touchdowns in this game. Purdy would drive the 49ers down to score three field goals to pull the 49ers further away from the Dolphins—a Dre Greenlaw fumble recovery for a touchdown sealed the game.
For a season where the 49ers had playoff aspirations and Garoppolo’s fate uncertain, Purdy at least showed he could be a capable backup. His numbers following the game weren’t awful, but not necessarily special either: 25 for 37 (67 percent completion rate with a 5.7-yard average), 210 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception for a rating of 88.8. For a rookie playing his first game, it’s not in any way bad, but it’s not something that would put Purdy on the map.
After the game, it was evident Garoppolo would be missing time (the rest of the season) with a foot injury. The 49ers were going to be Purdy’s team. It took the following week against the Buccaneers to show that Purdy wasn’t just a capable backup, but the starter of the future.
While the Buccaneers game showed the 49ers had something special in Purdy, the Dolphins game showed he belonged. Rather than jitters, errant passes all game, and an opposing defense sending the cavalry to sack him, Purdy hung in the pocket every play and delivered—even when something was being delivered to him.
Sunday’s game against the Dolphins marks the first time the teams have met in Levi’s Stadium since that day. They had met in 2024, but at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The Dolphins coming to Levi’s always serves as a reminder of the day Mr. Irrelevant became Mr. Relevant.
