Purdy injured his right elbow during the 49ers' opening drive and missed the remainder of the first half, returning midway through the third quarter and being limited to just 23 yards on 4 of 4 passing. The rookie starter's replacement, Josh Johnson, also suffered injuries, which forced San Francisco to play a run-heavy offense, despite trailing by double-digits late.

"How does it feel to lose an NFC Championship Game because I don't have a quarterback? Pretty sh--ty, to be honest," said tight end George Kittle via ProFootballTalk.

Both quarterbacks combined to throw for just 83 yards on 11 of 18 passing. Purdy took over for former starter Jimmy Garappolo -- who replaced former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance in Week 2 -- during Week 13 of the NFL season and led the Niners to a 5-0 record in five starts, as well as a 2-1 record in the postseason before being eliminated by the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.

Purdy threw for 1,374 yards, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions on 114 of 170 passing during the regular season, as well as 569 yards and three touchdowns on 41 of 63 passing during the playoffs.

Doug Gottlieb Rips Joel Embiid No-Show: 'Where is Your Competitive Drive?’

Jason Whitlock: The Risk in Drafting a Black Quarterback in 2023

Here's Who Joel Klatt Says He Would Draft With No. 1 Overall Pick

Colin Cowherd Calls Out the 'Nonsense' of Aaron Rodgers After New Report

Colin Cowherd on NBA MVP Race: 'Nikola Jokic Won It Last Night'

Jason Whitlock: The Real Collusion Going On Against Lamar Jackson

Aaron Hernandez's Brother Was Arrested For Incident at ESPN Headquarters

Colin Cowherd on Lamar Jackson Trade Request News: 'They Won Before You'

Colin Cowherd Says Lamar Jackson is Becoming a 'Noisy' QB Who Hurts Teams

Colin Cowherd: Jets Should Ditch Aaron Rodgers, Tank For QB in 2024 Draft

Outkick the Coverage