San Francisco 49Ers

Purdy, who was the last pick of this year's NFL Draft, started his second consecutive game after taking over following the injury to Jimmy Garoppolo.

For the second game in a row, Purdy did not commit a turnover, finishing with 17 completions from 26 attempts for 217 yards and two touchdowns.

He also helped star tight end George Kittle have his best game of the season, catching four passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns, after entering the contest with only four touchdowns in 11 games.

With the victory, the 49ers clinched the NFC West and at least one home playoff game, improving their record to 10-4 on the back of a seven-game winning streak.

Purdy was questionable during the week due to oblique and rib injuries, but 49ers head coach Shanahan believes his young quarterback levelled up in the eyes of the locker room as he battled through it.

"It was definitely another level," he said. "It was another level for me, just watching someone do it. 

"The injury he had last week, and for him to be ready to go today – and you could tell in pre-game warmups there were a number of things that were really tough for him. We had a number of plays we weren't going to call today because of where he was at.

"So for him to be able to play, let alone play the way he did… this team had a lot of respect for him before this game, but they have a lot more now.

“He's definitely the most poised rookie I've ever had. He's been like that since he got here. From what I hear about him in college, he was very similar, starting as a freshman. He's been great, he was poised all week even when he was unsure about whether he could go or not.

"I think that was uneasy for him, because he didn't know what to expect until he got in the game.

"Under our circumstances, we didn't have any other options, or choices. We were going to see how long he could last, and we were ready to go with [backup quarterback] Josh [Johnson], but he got comfortable, and got better as the game went on – it was pretty unbelievable."

Purdy himself did his best to deflect a lot of the positive sentiments towards his team-mates, particularly injured quarterbacks Garoppolo and Trey Lance.

"It's special and everything, but honestly, I'm just another component," he said. "I'm another piece to this team, in terms of a guy coming in, just doing what [is asked of him]. 

"I'm the quarterback, I have to make decisions. I trust in how the coaches teach me throughout the week, and I just try to get the ball out to the guys on time.

"Honestly, man, I don't think Jimmy and Trey get enough credit for what they've done. I'm just now coming on the scene where these guys have been here, throughout the offseason for Trey, and Jimmy coming in and leading these guys, and winning.

"So, for me to come in, I just want to continue what they got rolling. So a big credit to Jimmy and Trey for what they've done, especially in the quarterback room, for the team, and I'm just trying to do my part in terms of where we're at now in the season."

Purdy, who was the very last pick of this year's NFL Draft, started his second consecutive game after taking over following the injury to Jimmy Garoppolo.

For the second game in a row, Purdy did not commit a single turnover, finishing with 17 completions from 26 attempts for 217 yards and two touchdowns.

He also helped star tight end George Kittle have his best game of the season, catching four passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns, after entering the contest with only four touchdowns in 11 games.

With the victory, the 49ers clinched the NFC West and at least one home playoff game, improving their record to 10-4 on the back of a seven-game winning streak.

Purdy was questionable during the week due to oblique and rib injuries, but 49ers head coach Shanahan believes his young quarterback levelled up in the eyes of the locker room as he battled through it.

"It was definitely another level," he said. "It was another level for me, just watching someone do it. 

"The injury he had last week, and for him to be ready to go today – and you could tell in pre-game warmups there were a number of things that were really tough for him. We had a number of plays we weren't going to call today because of where he was at.

"So for him to be able to play, let alone play the way he did… this team had a lot of respect for him before this game, but they have a lot more now."

Shanahan was not finished there with his praise, calling him "the most poised rookie I've ever had".

"From what I hear about him in college, he was very similar, starting as a freshman," he said. "He's been great, he was poised all week even when he was unsure about whether he could go or not.

"I think that was uneasy for him, because he didn't know what to expect until he got in the game.

"Under our circumstances, we didn't have any other options, or choices. We were going to see how long he could last, and we were ready to go with [backup quarterback] Josh [Johnson], but he got comfortable, and got better as the game went on – it was pretty unbelievable."

Purdy himself did his best to deflect a lot of the positive sentiments towards his teammates, particularly injured quarterbacks Garoppolo and Trey Lance.

"It's special and everything, but honestly, I'm just another component," he said. "I'm another piece to this team, in terms of a guy coming in, just doing what [is asked of him]. 

"I'm the quarterback, I have to make decisions. I trust in how the coaches teach me throughout the week, and I just try to get the ball out to the guys on time.

"Honestly, man, I don't think Jimmy and Trey get enough credit for what they've done. I'm just now coming on the scene where these guys have been here, throughout the offseason for Trey, and Jimmy coming in and leading these guys, and winning.

"So, for me to come in, I just want to continue what they got rolling. So a big credit to Jimmy and Trey for what they've done, especially in the quarterback room, for the team, and I'm just trying to do my part in terms of where we're at now in the season."

The Niners claimed their eighth straight win on Christmas Eve as they eased to a 37-20 victory over the Washington Commanders to improve to 11-4 on the season.

Purdy, the last pick in this year's draft, has been the starting quarterback for the last three games, having come in and replaced Jimmy Garoppolo following his injury in the first quarter of the Week 13 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Since quarterback starts were first tracked in 1950, Purdy is only the second player to begin his career 3-0 as a starter while throwing multiple touchdown passes in each game. The other is Kurt Warner, who did so in 1999 after stepping in for the injured Trent Green and went on to lead the St. Louis Rams to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV.

The 49ers and Purdy have ambitions on lifting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of this campaign, and it is that goal Shanahan is entirely focused on, not a quarterback decision that figures to be one of the dominant storylines of the offseason.

Garoppolo will become a free agent at the start of the 2023 league year in March, leaving Purdy and Trey Lance — who was the 49ers’ starter before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 — as the two quarterbacks on the roster.

San Francisco traded three first-round picks for the right to acquire Lance with the third overall selection in 2021, but he has started only four games in two seasons and it may be difficult to demote Purdy from the starting role if he continues to thrive and the 49ers enjoy a deep playoff run.

But asked if he had thought about how he will approach the quarterback issue in the offseason, Shanahan told reporters on Monday: "No, I didn't even know what year it is after this season is over, so I'm trying to think about how to get him ready for Wednesday [practice].

"That's a great question, but honestly, I don't look ahead like that. We have a number of big games in front of us."

Purdy averaged 10.64 yards per pass attempt in throwing for 234 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against Washington despite still dealing with an oblique injury.

Assessing Purdy's display, Shanahan said: "I thought Brock played well, really well. He was smart with the ball.

"There were a couple situations that were tight, where there was an unblocked player and the play was almost there and I thought he just did a great job not doing anything stupid in some tough situations also.

"He's shown that he's willing to let a rip at all times and there were a couple times in the game that they got an unblocked guy right to him and he made a couple great decisions just to take the sack, so I was really impressed with how Brock played just talking to him here the last two days.

"He got out healthy again and I think that should continue healing up and I think he should be even a little better this week with more health."

Coleman suffered the injury in the second quarter of the 37-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game.

The 49ers are awaiting the results of an MRI that will determine whether the running back can take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Miami on February 2.

Shanahan believes Coleman could well recover in time.

"We've got to wait until we get the stuff back, so I don't want to speculate too much, but it's usually a week to rest it and usually back in [after that]," the San Francisco coach told a news conference.

"I expect him to have a chance to play. You can't hold me to that. We'll find out more after the imaging, but I expect he'll have a good chance to play."

Asked to compare the injury to the shoulder dislocation Emmanuel Moseley suffered in 2018, Shanahan said: "I think he might have torn something, Moseley, because he needed surgery.

"This was more like a Lethal Weapon-type thing, where you've got to pop it back in."

Coleman had six carries for 21 yards before exiting Sunday's game.

Fellow running back Raheem Mostert went on to steal the show, rushing for 220 yards and four touchdowns.

With Garoppolo sidelined due to torn ligaments in his thumb, rookie third overall pick Lance got the start and recovered from a shaky first half to help the 49ers to a 23-7 win over the Houston Texans.

Lance tossed a bad interception in the first half but appeared more settled after a field-goal drive to end the second quarter and subsequently threw a pair of touchdowns, including a 45-yard strike to Deebo Samuel, to put the Niners a win away from a playoff berth.

He finished the game 16 of 23 passing for 249 yards and also ran for a further 31 yards.

The Niners will reach the postseason for the second time in three seasons if they beat the 12-4 Los Angeles Rams in Week 18 or if the New Orleans Saints lose to the Atlanta Falcons. Should San Francisco lose and the Saints beat the Falcons, the Niners will miss out on the postseason.

That places the situation at quarterback into sharp focus, with head coach Shanahan leaving the door open to Garoppolo making a quick return despite reports he will need surgery after the season.

Asked if Garoppolo tried throwing on Saturday or Sunday, Shanahan replied: "I don't know if he threw today [Sunday]. I didn't even ask, just talking to him yesterday I had a pretty good idea that we weren't going to even push it today.

"I think he'll be able to do it this week. Still, that's just me giving you guys an honest guess. Hopefully, I'll have a better idea by Wednesday.

"If Jimmy's a hundred per cent healthy and could do everything, like perfect, then I would definitely go with Jimmy. I'm not just going to throw a guy in after one game like this, when Jimmy's been doing it for us all year.

"I think it's going to be hard for Jimmy to be a hundred percent, which is how most people are right now at this time of year. But Trey did a good job, if Jimmy can't go, we won't hesitate at all. But if we feel Jimmy can go and play confident, then Jimmy will be out there."

Assessing Lance's performance, Shanahan said: "I think he did some real good things, besides the bad interception, I thought he protected the ball real well.

"That was a big thing going into this game and he did a good job on all those except for one play. I think he was very efficient, just looking at his numbers. That big play at the end was huge. For the most part, he made some pretty good decisions running the ball.

"I thought the defense and special teams played really well. Holding them to three yards per play on defense, special teams, we've been down here over this last month and this at least felt like that was one of our better games in a while.

"I think that allowed us to be more comfortable on offense, start to get into a rhythm and not really press and just let it happen naturally."

The 49ers improved to 3-3 with a 24-16 win over the Rams, a week on from a 43-17 blowout at the hands of Miami. 

Coach Shanahan had sensed there was a strong performance in the offing all week, having been impressed by the attitude in practice. 

"When you get embarrassed like that, you can find out a lot about your team," he said. "I was very impressed with the character of our team and the way they carried themselves and the way they came out to practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and really the way they responded to all of us getting embarrassed. 

"They tried to get better this week and not worry about anything else, and usually when you do that, you can put together those type of practices, usually the results are better, and I'm glad that they were because I thought they really earned it throughout the week and today." 

Jimmy Garoppolo, who was benched midway through that defeat to the Dolphins, bounced back in style on Sunday to throw three touchdown passes to Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk. 

Garoppolo completed 23 of 33 passes for 268 yards and was 18 of 23 on throws of five yards or less as he flourished in a "pick-your-poison" plan by Shanahan. 

Such was the authority with which San Francisco started that they were 21-6 ahead in the second quarter, the Rams outgained 291 yards to 102 as Garoppolo's counterpart Jared Goff struggled in the first half.  

"Kyle is mixing all that stuff up like that, it makes it hard on defenses," Garoppolo said. "It's a pick-your-poison type of thing, and Kyle did a great job tonight putting us in good positions. He was on point tonight, so it makes all of our jobs a lot easier. 

"I thought the O-line as a whole just did a phenomenal job. It started with the run game and then the pass game, the pockets were clean all night... I didn't get hit very much, felt great coming out of this game. When the O-line plays like that, it sets a tone for our whole offense, and they did it tonight." 

The Rams rallied to win 20-17 on Sunday at SoFi Stadium to seal progress to the Super Bowl, where they will face the Cincinnati Bengals at the same venue on February 13.

Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford starred on the one-year anniversary of his trade to the Rams, leading three straight scoring drives to erase a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter, while Cooper Kupp caught two touchdown passes.

Aaron Donald's defensive work proved crucial in pressuring Garoppolo, who had a late, desperate throw intercepted by Travin Howard as the Rams became the first team fighting for a place at the Super Bowl to trail by double digits heading into the fourth quarter to then win a game.

Speculation is swirling over Garoppolo's future. The 30-year-old joined San Francisco for a record-breaking, $137.5million deal in 2017, and led them to the Super Bowl two years ago.

San Francisco are 35-16 when Garoppolo starts and 8-31 when he does not, yet it seems that the 49ers may well part ways with the quarterback, who has a year left to run on his deal. They traded up to three in last year's draft to bring in Trey Lance, who threw for 603 yards and five touchdowns across six appearances this season.

Shanahan, however, refused to confirm that Garoppolo had played his last game for the Niners.

"I love Jimmy," Shanahan said in his post-game news conference.

"I'm not going to sit here and make a farewell statement or anything right now. It's the last stuff on my mind. Jimmy has battled his a** off.

"He battled today. He did some unbelievable things today. I love coaching Jimmy."

Garoppolo completed 301 of his 441 passes in the regular season, for a completion rate of 68.3, ranking him sixth in the league. His 8.64 yards per pass attempt ranked second.

He completed 16 of his 30 passes on Sunday (a completion percentage of 53.3) for 232 yards and two touchdowns, though the sole interception proved crucial.

"[The emotions] hit pretty hard in the locker room," Garoppolo said.

"I think these next couple of days it will really start to settle in a little bit. Emotions are high after a game win or loss, and it's one of those things you've got to be glad it happened, smile from it, and think about the good things.

"We'll see what happens in these next couple days, weeks, whatever, but I love this team. Just the fight and the battle in this team throughout the entire year has been really impressive. I love those guys.

"I've got no regrets from this year."

The Niners visit SoFi Stadium on Sunday aiming to extend their winning streak over the Rams to six games. A victory in the regular-season finale will clinch a playoff berth for the second time in three seasons.

Should the 49ers lose, then they would need the New Orleans Saints to suffer defeat to the Atlanta Falcons to secure their spot in the Wild Card round. A San Francisco loss and a Saints win would put New Orleans in the playoffs.

They will be facing a Rams team looking to clinch the NFC West title for the first time since the 2018 season.

And it remains unclear whether the Niners will do so with Garoppolo or rookie third overall pick Trey Lance under center.

Garoppolo missed the 49ers' 23-7 win over the Houston Texans in Week 17 after suffering a torn ligament in his right thumb in San Francisco's Week 16 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

After a shaky first half, Lance impressed in his stead, throwing for 249 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while adding 31 yards on the ground.

The 21-year-old, making only his second start, averaged the most air yards per attempt (11.91) of any quarterback last week and delivered an accurate, well-thrown ball on 82.6 per cent of his attempts.

However, Garoppolo has practiced in a limited capacity for three straight days, boosting hopes of a return to the starting line-up that head coach Shanahan would not confirm.

Garoppolo was listed as questionable and Shanahan told a media conference: "He had a good week. Yeah, a good week of practice when he was in there. I feel good with where he is at right now."

He added: "I know what we're doing. I just don't feel like telling you right now.

"I'm not deciding Sunday morning. We don't have any practice left. I know where Jimmy's at today. I know where Trey's at. I know where our team is at and I feel pretty good about where we're at, so I'm excited to get to Sunday. I am really glad I don't have any press conferences after today.

"I think you guys understand why you don't announce it. But regardless, especially with Trey playing last week, we've got two guys here with some experience that our team feels good with and we'll see how it plays out."

San Francisco's Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams has not practiced all week and is listed as questionable. In the secondary, cornerback Emmanuel Moseley is expected to return from an ankle injury while rookie corner Ambry Thomas came off the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Corners K'Waun Williams, Dontae Johnson and Deommodore Lenoir and starting free safety Jimmie Ward remain on the COVID-19 list, though both Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have expressed confidence more members of their secondary will be activated off the list on Saturday.

Garoppolo suffered a bruised calf in the 49ers' 28-21 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday and was unable to play the second half.

Shanahan will wait on further tests on Garoppolo's calf but was comforted on Monday knowing that the injury would not sideline his preferred quarterback long term.

"It does mean he has a chance," Shanahan said. "It wasn't as bad as what we thought it might have been. He's in a lot of pain, still sore.

"Hopefully by the time he comes in Wednesday, if it's getting better, then he'll have a good chance. If it hasn't improved at all by Wednesday, it will probably be a little bit longer."

If Garoppolo is unable to play, Shanahan will know he can turn to 2021 NFL Draft pick three Trey Lance, who made two touchdowns in Sunday's loss.

Lance played the second half against Seattle in Garoppolo's absence, completing nine from 18 attempts for 157 yards, running seven times for 41 yards.

Shanahan will also be sweating on the fitness of left tackle Trent Williams who has a right shoulder concern.

"I think Trent, we got a little bit better news than Jimmy, but Jimmy, we've got to see how he reacts here in the next two days," Shanahan said.

"But both of them were definitely better news today than the feeling we had last night."

The 49ers have a Week 6 bye, before their next game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday October 24 which may come into Shanahan's consideration.

Garoppolo's departure from the Bay Area was widely expected following the 2021 season, creating space for last year's third overall pick Trey Lance to flourish.

Lance was restricted to only two starts in his rookie season as Garoppolo remained the 49ers' first-choice quarterback.

But having given up three first-round picks to move up and take Lance, the 49ers are ready to make him their main man.

That would mean moving on Garoppolo, yet shoulder surgery in March halted any trade discussions – and Shanahan says talks have not since advanced.

There remains hope the 49ers can do a deal that satisfies all parties, but they are having to bide their time.

"Nothing's changed since that surgery," coach Shanahan said. "Where we were at before that, and then he got the surgery, so everything went on hold.

"I expect him at some time, most likely, to be traded, but who knows? That's not a guarantee.

"It's been exactly on hold when that happened. When he's healthy, we'll see what happens."

The Niners are the only team in the NFL to have booked their playoff spot ahead of the Week 14 games, and they are also in pole position for the NFC's top seed after reeling off five straight wins.

Purdy has enjoyed a breakout campaign in his first full season as San Francisco's starting quarterback, with only the Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa (3,697) and Houston Texans' C.J. Stroud (3,631) bettering his 3,553 passing yards this year.

He – alongside Dak Prescott and Lamar Jackson – is among the favourites to win the league's top individual prize, though Shanahan believes McCaffrey should also be in contention.

McCaffrey leads the league with 1,177 rushing yards this season, and Shanahan does not see why he couldn't become the first non-quarterback to be named MVP since Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in 2012.

"Are you trying to get me in trouble with those two guys?" Shanahan said on Thursday when asked who he would vote for. 

"That's the only reason I wouldn't overly comment on either one of them, because I don't want them to cancel each other out."

Miami's electrifying wide receiver Tyreek Hill is among the non-quarterbacks tipped to be in contention, but Shanahan feels McCaffrey has the strongest case outside the signal callers.

"If any non-quarterback's going to get MVP, I don't get how Christian McCaffrey can't," Shanahan said. "I mean, he's been amazing in what he has done all year.

"If it's going to a quarterback, then I don't have to talk about Christian, I can talk about our quarterback.

"If his numbers are all you see, then I think that solves it. But if you watch the film, then it makes it even stronger, which to me is the most important thing."

The 49ers take on the Arizona Cardinals in their penultimate road game of the regular season on Sunday before facing the Baltimore Ravens – currently the AFC leaders – in a huge clash on Christmas Day.

Purdy was one of the surprise stars of this 2022 NFL season, coming to the fore in his rookie year having been the final pick in the draft.

He led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game, only to sustain an elbow injury against the Philadelphia Eagles that significantly hindered San Francisco in a one-sided loss.

Purdy only got his opportunity after Lance, selected third overall in 2021, and backup Jimmy Garoppolo were both injured.

When Purdy's own backup Josh Johnson suffered a concussion against the Eagles, the luckless 49ers had lost four QBs, leaving Purdy to play out the rest of the game without throwing the ball.

Coach Shanahan confirmed on Wednesday there was unlikely to be a return in 2023 for free agent Garoppolo, and the 49ers do not see the need for an alternative veteran starter.

But where that leaves Purdy and Lance remains unclear. Both men are injured with the aim of returning before next season; Purdy tore elbow ligaments, while Lance broke his ankle.

"I know we have two starters on our team right now that I believe we can win with," Shanahan said. "So, when you have that situation, you're not that eager to go looking around."

Purdy and Lance, speaking earlier in the week, each described their excitement to return to fitness and "compete".

Lance added to reporters: "I'm sure it will be a whole story again this year for you guys."

Purdy emerged as one of the stories of the 2022 season, the final pick of last year's draft stepping in after both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo suffered season-ending injury and winning five successive starts to help the Niners to a 13-4 record and the NFC's second seed. 

He then won two playoff games before suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow on the first offensive series of San Francisco's NFC Championship Game defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Purdy underwent successful surgery to repair the injury on March 10, with his projected timeline one that would see him resume throwing in three months.

On Monday, Lynch said he was hopeful Purdy would be back for training camp and described him as the "leader in the clubhouse" in a prospective quarterback competition with 2021 third overall pick Lance.

Head coach Shanahan painted a more uncertain picture, but appeared relaxed about the Niners' quarterback situation.

"He won't be able to do anything on the field, for who knows? It could go anywhere from six months to eight months," Shanahan said.

"So, it's all open like that, and we'll have a better idea … at three months out of surgery, they have a better idea of whether it's going to be six months or eight months. … That's all I know, and I'm pretty good with that.

"We'll see at three months if he'll be ready for camp, or if not, then perhaps we say it's gonna go slow. It might be Week 1 and, at the latest, Week 4. It's just all estimations, and we'll see what happens."

Lance, who has started just four games since the 49ers traded three first-round picks to move up and to select him owing in part to the ankle injury he suffered last September, is set to split first-team reps in OTAs and minicamp with another former third overall selection, Sam Darnold. The 49ers signed Darnold to a one-year contract this month.

"With Brock being hurt, it does open [the job] up, and it does give [Lance] a chance," Shanahan added.

"I don't know how Brock's going to come back. I don't know exactly when he's going to come back, so I don't have the exact answer for that.

"But right now, because he is hurt, it is nice to focus on Trey, it is nice to focus on Sam, and see how they do in OTAs and most likely see how they're playing leading us into training camp because I think it will take some time for Brock."

Tuesday's practice was reportedly halted by a scuffle between linebacker Fred Warner and receiver Brandon Aiyuk, with punches thrown.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Shanahan said he wanted to see his players push one another, metaphorically, but that it goes too far when they could potentially cause each other injuries.

"I want everyone challenging each other," Shanahan said. "I don't care how much crap each other talks; I don't care how close they get to fighting.

"They can do whatever they want to get themselves to be as intense as they want and bring the best out of each other, which happens a lot that way. And it's the same on the field.

"But once you throw a punch, you get ejected or you get a penalty... I want people to be irritants, I want people to get as close as they can to all that stuff. I want people to get right on the line where they're about to black out, but you can't black out on the football field or you cost your team."

The disagreement between Warner and Aiyuk reportedly erupted after the former hit receiver Marcus Johnson late, which put Johnson in concussion protocol.

"I love the intensity of it," Shanahan added. "I don't think you have to fight to be intense, though. Scuffles are scuffles but then they lead to other stuff.

"I think that's why we've got a guy in protocol, because he took an unnecessary shot on someone, which led to the big fight and then we had a bunch of haymakers and stuff thrown in there, which only break hands.

"I think our team is pretty tough. I think we're pretty physical. Most probably [we would be] voted the most physical team on tape last year, I think we'd win most of that, and we didn't get in one fight last year. So, I don't think that totally pertains to toughness."

Garoppolo was expected to be released by San Francisco before Tuesday's deadline for teams to cut their rosters to 53 players ahead of the regular season.

Instead, the 49ers and Garoppolo agreed to a rengotiated one-year that, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, is worth $6.5million in base salary and $500,000 in roster bonuses. Garoppolo has incentives for playing time that could be worth up to $9m.

San Francisco had attempted to trade Garoppolo this offseason as part of the transition to Trey Lance as their starting quarterback. The 49ers traded three first-round picks to select Lance with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

But an offseason shoulder surgery contributed to the 49ers' inability to find a trade partner, and Garoppolo – who worked out away from the team during training camp and preseason – will now serve as the backup to Lance.

The 49ers' decision has led to questions about a potentially awkward dynamic between Lance and a starting quarterback predecessor who has a 31-14 record as a starter with the team.

It is a move that has also prompted observers to talk up the prospect for locker room discord if Lance struggles on a team expected to compete to go deep into the playoffs once again, after reaching Super Bowl LIV and last season's NFC Championship Game with Garoppolo as the starter.

However, speaking in a conference call on Tuesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan dismissed the notion of possible disharmony in the quarterback room and the wider locker room.

"That was the only option," Shanahan said, when asked if it was made clear Garoppolo would be the backup. "And we told that to Trey also.

"Trey and Jimmy have a great relationship. Trey actually likes having Jimmy in the building, and Trey was very grateful to how Jimmy was to him last year. And we feel very strongly from the two people that Jimmy will give that back to Trey this year.

"Trey's our starting quarterback. This doesn't change anything. I just feel it makes us a much better team and doesn't hurt our cap like it would have.

"There aren't 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL. We believe we have two of them on our roster.

"We felt strongly giving the keys to Trey. I can't wait to get him started on our team Week 1. Having Jimmy as a backup makes us feel really good because we have a starting quarterback as a backup.

"The rest of the league had a chance to get him, and I feel so fortunate that they didn't. There's no way that's bad for our team."

Pressed on why Garoppolo practised away from the team if there was a chance of him staying, Shanahan said: "I think that was because the chances, to me, it seemed slim to none, just with the possibility of that happening.

"I remember the first week of training camp, me saying to Jimmy, 'Hey, if you don't like any of these opportunities, if you don't go to the place you want, you can't get the contract you want, we would love to have you here as a backup, in a backup role, and that deal. I want you to know we feel that way, but I also think there's no way you're not going to get something as this goes throughout training camp.'

"Jimmy agreed with that. And so we waited all throughout training camp. Then, I think as he saw other situations out there, and I think, to me, it just seemed like everyone was just waiting for us to cut him so they could see how much they could get him for.

"But once the last Saturday preseason game happened, and no one got injured, then Jimmy thought this was his best situation that he liked. And that's why we were so pumped because it's obviously a better situation for the Niners."

The rookie QB was forced off at the end of the 49ers first drive with an elbow injury after his throwing arm was hit by Eagles edge-rusher Haason Reddick, leading to the introduction of fourth-stringer Josh Johnson.

More bad luck followed for the 49ers though, with Johnson ruled out due to the concussion protocol and Purdy reintroduced, albeit unable to throw deep passes, in an eventual 31-7 loss.

However, Shanahan felt the team had hope of a comeback until the final Eagles touchdown that led to a three-score lead.

"I don't think we're numb, the guys were up for the challenge. The defence was playing really well, we thought Josh was going to go in there, execute our plan and give us a chance," he told reporters.

"We felt confident coming out in the third quarter, but in that opening drive we lost our last quarterback.

"After that, we were inspired watching our defence, down two scores, we thought we could run the ball well enough and generate some stuff, hopefully get a turnover the other side, but we didn't move the chains enough and once they got that third score, it was really tough to catch up.

"The guys are pretty down in there, we were really excited for today and for the opportunity to play that team. They played great, they did good things, but we wish we had a better opportunity than what we did today."

A controversial incident in the first quarter was a fourth-down conversion for the Eagles in a 29-yard pass to Devonta Smith, which he appeared to drop on closer inspection of the replays.

Questions have been asked as to why Shanahan did not challenge the on-field decision, though there was a simple explanation.

"The replays we saw didn't definitively show that [the catch was dropped]," he explained.

"I was going to throw one anyway, to take the chance, but they showed one on the scoreboard that didn't have all the angles that you guys saw and it looked like a catch. We didn't want to waste a timeout.

"We definitely would have [challenged] if we hadn't had seen that. Then I heard they got a couple of angles and you ended up seeing later than it's not a catch."

Rookie Trey Lance had another impressive showing in Sunday's 15-10 win against the Los Angeles Chargers, but the San Francisco head coach would not be drawn on whether Lance or incumbent Jimmy Garoppolo would start the season opener. 

Garoppolo started Sunday's game and led a 15-play drive that ended when he was intercepted deep in Chargers territory. 

Lance then came on for three unproductive series, including an interception of his own, before leading a pair of touchdown drives. 

The third overall pick in this year's NFL Draft led San Francisco down the field with less than a minute to play in the first half, hitting Mohamed Sanu for a five-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds remaining. 

After a three-and-out on the 49ers' first possession of the second half, Lance engineered an 11-play drive that ended in a 16-yard TD pass to Travis Benjamin for what proved to be the final score of the game. 

Garoppolo finished three-of-six passing for 15 yards, while Lance was eight-of-14 for 102 yards. 

Shanahan said going into camp that the veteran Garoppolo was the presumptive starter and was asked following Sunday's game whether anything had changed. 

"No, I haven't seen that," he told reporters. "I would love for it to be more and more each week but I think the situation is pretty similar right now."

Shanahan said he appreciated the scrutiny Lance is under, both internally and externally, but was pleased with the way he played Sunday. 

"I understand whatever Trey does the eyes are going to be on him," Shanahan said. "I don't want him to have that pressure but that's also the reality of this business.

"I thought last week he had that big throw which, I think, it's fun to watch for a lot of people so that takes a little pressure off, but he didn't play after that as good as he would have liked to.

"This week I thought he came out much more locked-in, more comfortable."

Shanahan had originally planned to give Garoppolo the opening series, then Lance the next two, before putting Garoppolo back in for another series, but he scrapped those plans after the opening drive ended up being so long.

He will have one more chance to evaluate his quarterbacks in game conditions in Sunday's pre-season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders. 

The 49ers open the season September 12 at the Detroit Lions, and Shanahan acknowledged only that he would name a starter by then.

"It's hard for me to give a date when it's based off of when we know and when we feel like naming it," Shanahan said. "So, whenever that happens. But I promise it'll be by that Sunday."

The 31-year-old was included in the second team when the All-Pro selections were announced by the Associated Press on Friday.

Sherman was criticised by some for signing a largely incentive-based contract that he negotiated himself when he joined the 49ers in March 2018.

Yet Sherman, a Super Bowl winner with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014, earned a $1million bonus for his Pro Bowl selection last month and will reportedly net twice that amount following his All-Pro pick.

Sherman tweeted on Friday: "Fans please find me all those 'He negotiates a bad deal' receipts.... I wanna see something."

Many of Sherman's followers obliged by replying with links to articles from analysts who believed he had made a big mistake by brokering such a deal on his own behalf.

He wrote in one of a string of posts: "No agent fees for me. Get to keep the money that I earned. Fellas these agents negotiate incentives into deals all the time. You do all the work achieving them and they see the benefit."

The 49ers beat the Seahawks in Week 17 to finish as top seeds in the NFC, securing home-field advantage in the playoffs and a first-round bye.

49ers cornerback and Super Bowl champion Sherman is poised to become a free agent at the end of the season, having joined San Francisco in 2018.

Sherman, who won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks, returned to form last year – the five-time Pro Bowler earned second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honours as the 49ers won the NFC Championship but lost in the showpiece.

However, the 32-year-old star is aware the 2020 season could be his third and final with the 49ers.

"I know the salary cap deal firsthand from dealing with the P.A. and the league," Sherman, who returned in Week 12 after a calf injury had sidelined him since the opening round, said on Thursday. "And I know [the 49ers'] salary cap situation because I've been in direct communication.

"Like I said when I had the conversation [with the 49ers], if there's some miracle that happens, then sure there's an opening.

"But there are 40 free agents, and they'll probably have $30million or less in cap space.

"They have to bring back Trent [Williams] who costs more than $20m [per season]. They have to pay Fred [Warner] who will cost $18m-plus per year. So, anybody who knows the situation understands that."

Sherman has made three appearances this season as last season's Super Bowl runners-up the 49ers sit bottom of the NFC West with a 5-7 record.

Sherman has been on injured reserve with a calf injury since last month, missing four consecutive NFL games for the 49ers.

The 49ers had hoped to have Super Bowl champion Sherman back for practice this week, but the five-time Pro Bowler's comeback has been delayed ahead of the Week 6 clash against the Los Angeles Rams.

"The healing hasn't gone the way we were hoping for," Shanahan said on Monday. "I know we're gonna try a few different procedures this week, but I know I'm not counting on this week. "

"So, we'll see how that goes with the new stuff we're going to try."

Shanahan added: "He's gonna get some shots that he thinks can help in his leg.

"No surgeries or anything, just different types of shots to take to see if they can take the inflammation down and stuff like that."

The 49ers – last season's Super Bowl finalists – are 2-3 following last week's 43-17 humbling at the hands of the Miami Dolphins.

Jimmy Garoppolo returned from an ankle injury, but the 49ers quarterback was later replaced by C.J. Beathard.

Garoppolo had thrown two interceptions and completed just seven of 17 passes for 77 yards, while also being sacked three times.

"We'll see how he is on Wednesday," Shanahan said. "I expect him to be at least the same, if not better.

"So hopefully he can get a week of that and have no setbacks Wednesday, Thursday, Friday; and hopefully we can get him out there Sunday night."