When Kyle Juszczyk was getting ready to head back onto the field for the San Francisco 49ers' second offensive drive of the game against the Miami Dolphins, he noticed rookie quarterback Brock Purdy warming up. The fullback was confused.
"I didn't see him get hurt," Juszczyk said after the game of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. "And the next drive, I just saw Purdy warming up. I'm like, 'Where's Jimmy at?' It wasn't until, I think, I was running out onto the field that I realized that Jimmy was even out."
It turned out to be a devastating injury. The veteran quarterback will undergo season-ending surgery on a broken left foot.
"I feel so bad for him and everything that he's had to go through," Juszczyk said. "It just seems like we've been down this road so many times. It's truly unfortunate. I just feel for Jimmy."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan was focused on the game. Like many of his players, he learned the details of the injury in the second quarter, created some mixed emotions about the 49ers' eventual 33-17 victory over the Dolphins.
"Just hearing it, it was pretty crushing," Shanahan said. "We know what Jimmy's been through, how hard he's worked at this."
Shanahan added that the 49ers wouldn't be looking to bring quarterback Trey Lance back from the injured reserve list for the playoffs, assuming the team can reach the postseason and make a deep run.
It will be rookie Brock Purdy, the last overall pick in this year's draft, helming the 49ers offense for the remainder of the season. That means the team is down to QB3 on the depth chart after losing Lance in Week 2 and now Garoppolo.
"Sadly, [injuries are] part of the game," Purdy told reporters after the win. "I love Jimmy, what he's done in terms of taking me in, and being a brother to me, just telling me little things. And his experiences so far in his career that have helped him, he shares them with me. He's not a secretive guy or anything. He wants the guys in that room to be better, to push him as well.
"So to see him go down like that, it's like, man, that sucks. Also, I have to be ready to roll for the rest of the game. My heart feels for him, and he's a brother of mine. Just like the situation with Trey, when he went down, it sucks seeing your guys go down like that, but you've got to roll, and you've got to find ways to win."
Linebacker Fred Warmer admits that he was shocked when he learned of the severity of the injury.
"I had no idea it was that bad," Warner told reporters. "My heart goes out to Jim. The way he competes, the way he prepares every week; just a freak thing. That sucks."
Warner says that the injury doesn't change how he views the remainder of the season. He has a lot of confidence in Purdy and the team as a whole.
The news of Garoppolo's status reached defensive end Nick Bosa's ears in the second quarter.
"Yeah, that's football," Bosa said. "Stuff happens. He got his foot stepped on, right? Unavoidable. ... He's going to be fine. It's going to take time, obviously. ... It just sticks because I really felt him coming on, even more so this year. He's always been a great leader, but I felt him really, really caring about this team, and his part, and obviously, his big role as the quarterback."
Bosa added, "I saw him at halftime, and it was pretty emotional."
Running back Christian McCaffrey entered a good situation following a trade from the Carolina Panthers to the 49ers. He arrived at a much better team, one that was focused on a championship run.
"It's brutal," McCaffrey said of Garoppolo's injury. "I haven't been around a long time here, but I can't say enough good things about him. I've been in that position before where you're playing, and you're excited, and it all has to end in a year. And it really sucks, and it hurts.
"But I can't say enough good things about him from a leadership standpoint, from the way that he operates, his attitude on a daily basis. So I'm praying for him, and we all are going to have his back."
