The San Francisco 49ers were red-hot going into the NFC Championship Game versus the Philadelphia Eagles, but they ran into some massive bad fortune in that contest.
They lost starting quarterback Brock Purdy to a UCL torn in his elbow early in the contest, and shortly afterward, backup Josh Johnson suffered a concussion, forcing Purdy to return, even though he was unable to throw the football.
It was therefore no surprise that the Eagles ran over the 49ers rather easily, 31-7.
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel said that if San Francisco had just one more healthy QB in that contest, they probably would’ve won.
Deebo Samuel joined First Take this morning.
“I wish we took one more quarterback into that game and it probably would have been a different outcome.” pic.twitter.com/FXok003slq
— Steph Sanchez (@Steph49K) February 8, 2023
It’s hard to conceive of the team beating an outstanding all-around squad such as the Eagles with just any old backup QB filling in for Purdy, as Purdy had been playing very well ever since replacing the injured Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13.
The 49ers had suffered an unbelievable string of bad injury fortune at the position, as their original starter, Trey Lance, went down in Week 2 with a season-ending ankle injury that required two procedures.
Purdy is set to soon have surgery on his UCL torn, and he is expected to be out for six months, which would allow him to return sometime during training camp this summer.
Elsewhere, the Niners are stacked, between Samuel, who was a Pro Bowl and All-Pro first-team selection last year, fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk, running back Christian McCaffrey, and Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle.
They also boast the best defense in football thanks to pass rusher Nick Bosa, safety Talanoa Hufanga, and middle linebacker Fred Warner, all of whom made both the Pro Bowl and All-Pro first-team this season.
If San Francisco simply has better luck with keeping its QBs healthy, it could end up winning its sixth Super Bowl about a year from now.
