Faithful Flashbacks #72: The 49ers Run Out of QB Options in Philly

No. 72 on the 'Faithful Flashbacks' countdown actually ended with a loss, but it featured a recent moment that led to an NFL rule change.

BY BRENDEN NUNES

May 29, 2026, 6:00 AM Updated: 9:05 am

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In honor of the San Francisco 49ers celebrating their 80th anniversary, Sactown Sports is kicking off a countdown of the 80 greatest moments in the franchise’s illustrious history in reverse order called “Faithful Flashbacks.”

From Super Bowl-winning plays to overperforming teams that had minimal expectations, there’s plenty to choose from the team with five titles under its belt.

The voting was conducted by a handful of the Sactown Sports’ staffers before results were compiled into a full list that will count down to the 49ers’ 2026 NFL regular season debut against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, on September 10th.

Faithful Flashbacks -- San Francisco 49ers 80 Best Moments

The No. 72 moment in our ‘Faithful Flashbacks’ countdown is highlighted by the quarterback position once again. Yet this is also the first time the 49ers did not win the game associated with the flashback.

In 2022, San Francisco dealt with a slew of injuries, including at quarterback. Heading into their second season with Trey Lance, whom they spent major draft capital to move up the year prior to select, he was expected to take over the show.

But that was short-lived as he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in game two. That left Jimmy Garoppolo to step back into the spot he’d filled for years up to that point, and the team thrived under his familiar leadership behind center.

At least, until the injury bug hit again. In Week 13, Garoppolo broke his foot, and San Francisco was left with no other option than to give Brock Purdy, the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, a real opportunity. That’s where Mr. Irrelevant’s birth as their starter took place.

He stepped in, and the team looked like it hardly missed a beat. Between Garoppolo and Purdy, San Francisco had won out in the regular season en route to an NFC West Division title. Purdy was one of the best stories not only in football, but all of sports, as unfortunate injuries piled up in an outlier fashion to give him his chance, and he hasn’t looked back since.

Leading them as far as the NFC Championship, which San Francisco came into on a 12-game winning streak, their bad luck finally became too much.

On their opening drive against the Philadelphia Eagles, Purdy injured his elbow, forcing him to head to the sideline. Josh Johnson, longtime backup QB, entered the action as the team’s fourth player to get real snaps that season.

You may remember the visual of his hands shaking as he removed his mouthpiece. It felt as though nobody expected the possibility, including Johnson himself. He had only joined the team mid-season to be an emergency fallback since their other QB options were sidelined.

To make matters worse, Johnson later exited the game with a concussion, leaving zero healthy active quarterbacks for the 49ers. People began wondering what direction they would go. Could RB Christian McCaffrey or FB Kyle Juszczyk manage to fill in?

Instead of relying on other positions, Purdy returned to the action but was clearly limited and not looking to throw the ball. San Francisco eventually lost the game 31-7 in heartbreaking fashion, but it’s one of those moments that no 49ers fan will soon forget.

That playoff run, season, and the resiliency Purdy showed were the start of his ongoing chapter as the 49ers’ starter. It was also the end of Lance’s label as the future of that position, and Garoppolo’s end with the organization.

At No. 72 in our Faithful Flashbacks countdown, this moment stood out because it captured the absurdity of that season.

The 49ers survived injury after injury, including to the quarterback position, yet made it all the way to the NFC title game, and then finally ran out of answers (and options) one win short of the Super Bowl.

Having witnessed a team suffer through no healthy QBs late in the postseason, that year even helped push the NFL toward changing its roster rules.

The next offseason, the league approved an emergency third-quarterback rule, allowing teams to dress a third quarterback without using a normal active game-day spot, as long as they are already on the 53-man roster.

Upcoming San Francisco 49ers Schedule

June 9-10, 2026 – Mandatory Minicamps
Late July 2026 – NFL Training Camps open
Thursday, September 10th – vs. Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia (Season Opener) – 5:35 pm PT
Sunday, September 20th – vs. Miami Dolphins – 1:25 pm PT
Sunday, September 27th – vs. Arizona Cardinals – 1:05 pm PT
Sunday, October 4th – vs. Denver Broncos – 1:25 pm PT

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