The last time the 49ers hosted the Dolphins, Brock Purdy was still just trying to keep his footing in an NFL game that suddenly belonged to him.
That meeting in San Francisco ended up being the real hinge point in Purdy’s rise. Fans had already seen him in brief relief appearances - mop-up duty against the Arizona Cardinals and a late cameo when the Kansas City Chiefs had the game out of reach - but this was different. This was the first time he stepped in with the result still very much alive.
San Francisco had already been knocked off course by injuries at quarterback. Trey Lance was gone two games into the season, and Jimmy Garoppolo had taken over without much trouble after the 49ers moved on from Lance to start that offseason.
Against Miami, Garoppolo opened the game by leading the 49ers to a field goal after the Dolphins struck first with a touchdown pass to Trent Sherfield. But a third-down sack on that drive ended Garoppolo’s night in a 49ers uniform.
Then came Purdy, the No. 3 quarterback to begin the year, suddenly in charge.
What happened next wasn’t polished in every moment. His first drive came with a few off-target throws, and some analysts during the game thought Kyle Shanahan was keeping the playbook on a short leash for the rookie. Even so, Purdy moved the 49ers down the field and finished the march with a touchdown pass to Kyle Juszczyk to put San Francisco ahead.
The very next drive brought the first interception of his NFL life, a throw where he locked onto Brandon Aiyuk and the Dolphins defense was ready for it. Rookie mistake. The kind you expect from the last pick in the draft.
But the response after that was the part that mattered.
In the two-minute drill, Purdy led another scoring march, using a strong QB sneak on fourth down before finding George Kittle just before taking a hit. That sequence didn’t announce him as the franchise quarterback on the spot, but it did something just as important: it showed he could take the punishment, keep his poise, and operate in the moment.
He kept doing that the rest of the way. Purdy guided the 49ers to three field goals, and Dre Greenlaw’s fumble return for a touchdown put the game away.
By the end, the rookie’s stat line was solid without being flashy: 25 completions on 37 attempts, 210 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and an 88.8 rating. For a first career start, it was good work. Not a headline-grabbing explosion, but enough to show the 49ers they had something they could use.
Then the bigger news came after the game: Garoppolo’s foot injury would keep him out for the rest of the season. The job was Purdy’s.
The next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is the game most people remember, the one where Purdy outplayed Tom Brady. But the Dolphins game was the one that proved he belonged.
Not as a curiosity. Not as a desperation fill-in.
As a quarterback who could stand in there, absorb the chaos, and deliver.
Sunday’s meeting with Miami is the first time the Dolphins have come to Levi’s Stadium since that day. They did play in 2024, but that game was in Miami.
And every time the Dolphins show up in Santa Clara, it brings back the moment Mr. Irrelevant became Mr.
Relevant.
In Other News...
Brock Purdy Gets A Meaningful Reminder Against Miami This Week
Before Brock Purdy became the 49ers answer at quarterback, Miami offered one of the first real reminders of what he could handle. In Week 7 of the 2022 season, he came off the bench for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo and helped San Francisco beat the Dolphins 33-17, taking on a defense that kept coming after him and still finding ways to stay poised.
Purdy finished that afternoon with a calm, efficient performance that helped reinforce why the 49ers trusted him so quickly. He kept making quick decisions against the blitz and carried that momentum into the rest of his rookie season, long before injuries in the NFC Championship Game finally ended it. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Face A Dangerous Home Opener Letdown Against New-Look Miami
After opening the season with a win in Melbourne, the 49ers are back home for a three-game stretch at Levis Stadium, and the immediate challenge is making sure the first game back does not turn into a flat spot. Miami brings a different kind of test than the opener, with a new coach, a new quarterback in Malik Willis and the sort of unfamiliarity that can make a September game feel tricky if San Francisco treats it lightly.
The 49ers have spent their buildup stressing that the Dolphins deserve real attention, especially up front where pressure on Willis can shape the afternoon. They also know DeVon Achane is the kind of back who can punish any lapse, while Brock Purdys play remains a key part of how smoothly this homestand starts. It is the sort of early-season game that can look manageable on paper and still carry plenty of danger if the 49ers are not sharp from the opening series. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Voice Greg Papa Faces A Serious Fight Fans Didn't Expect
Greg Papa, the longtime voice of 49ers radio broadcasts, is in the middle of a far more serious battle than anything that has played out on the field. He is hospitalized with advanced heart failure, another major health setback after already going through B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and a bone marrow transplant, and the situation has forced him to weigh several treatment paths as he confronts the next stage of his recovery.
For listeners who have come to rely on Papas presence over the years, the news lands hard because it comes with the uncertainty of what happens next. He is considering medication, an LVAD pump or a heart transplant, but even amid that difficult backdrop, Papa has made clear he wants to fight through it and get back behind the microphone. [Read more 🡒]