49ers' George Kittle: 'Pretty S--tty' to Lose NFC Title Game Because of QB Injuries

The San Francisco 49ers were hindered by injuries to both their quarterbacks in their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday's NFC Championship Game, as Brock Purdy played through an elbow injury after backup Josh Johnson went down with a concussion.

Star tight end George Kittle didn't mince words when asked how it felt to lose a title game largely due to quarterback injuries, telling reporters it felt "pretty s--tty."

Purdy injured his elbow on San Francisco's opening drive, forcing the veteran Johnson to step in. Johnson then went down on the 49ers' first drive of the third quarter, leaving Purdy to play without being able to throw the ball down the field. The team's emergency quarterback would've been running back Christian McCaffrey, but head coach Kyle Shanahan decided not to go in that direction.

San Francisco totaled just 164 yards of offense in the 31-7 loss, with Johnson and Purdy combining for 83 yards through the air. Philadelphia took advantage of the predictability of the 49ers offense and limited it to 81 rushing yards.

The 49ers had to overcome substantial quarterback turmoil to even make it to Sunday's game. Second-year starter Trey Lance broke his ankle in Week 2, and veteran Jimmy Garoppolo broke his foot in Week 13. Purdy, the final pick in the seventh round of the 2022 draft, was forced to step into the starting role and he seamlessly took control of the offense.

The rookie threw for 1,374 yards, 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions in nine games during the regular season. Purdy performed so well that San Francisco has a tough decision to make on whether to stick with him or go back to Lance next year.

Unfortunately, Purdy's untimely injury spelled doom for San Francisco after a stellar 2022 campaign.