San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is suffering from a concussion, coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know:
What this means for San Francisco
Darnold is the 49ers’ backup quarterback and Shanahan said the team has full confidence in him if Purdy can’t play. The 49ers are still hoping Purdy can clear the protocol before the game. Shanahan even said that Purdy didn’t necessarily need to practice to play on Sunday, pointing to last season’s Thursday night win in Seattle when Purdy played with a broken rib after not throwing a ball at practice this week .
Purdy will be eligible to participate in the 49ers walkthrough on Wednesday. — David Lombardi, 49ers writer
Why the 49ers are still optimistic
Shanahan said Purdy felt better Wednesday than the day before and was even allowed to be on the field for the walk-through portion of Wednesday’s practice. That gives the team confidence that he may be able to overcome concussion protocol and play in Sunday’s game against the Bengals. Also encouraging: the way Purdy played in Seattle last season. He suffered a rib injury in the game before and the 49ers were playing the Seahawks on a short week.
Not only did Purdy not practice fully, he barely threw the ball leading up to the contest. Still, he was mentally ready for the game and completed 17 of 26 passes for 217 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. — Matt Barrows, 49ers writer
I turn to Darnold
If Purdy can’t clear the concussion protocol in a timely manner, the 49ers will turn to Darnold, who led the scout team’s offense in games so far this season and handled the cleanup. The 49ers signed Danold in free agency because they liked him after his departure from USC and were impressed with the way he handled Carolina’s offense in his six starts at the end of the 2022 season. The Panthers went 4-2 in those starts, with Darnold throwing seven touchdowns against three interceptions.
The 49ers noted that Darnold had the support of a dedicated running back in these starts, something he hasn’t always had in his career. If he’s the starter on Sunday, he should have a robust rushing attack. Shanahan said Christian McCaffrey – a former teammate of Darnold’s at Carolina – suffered no further damage to his sore oblique region during the Vikings game and will not be limited in practice this week. – Wheelbarrows
How Darnold does
Despite the Niners’ two-game losing streak, Purdy still leads the NFL in expected points added per dropback rate after Week 7 (via TruMedia). Of course, Purdy started off strong last season, ranking fifth in EPA among all quarterbacks per decline during Weeks 10-18 by 0.16.
Where was Darnold as the Carolina Panthers starter during this time?
Third, behind only Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes.
There’s likely a reason the 49ers selected Darnold to replace Purdy in free agency this offseason. —Larry Holder, senior NFL writer
When the injury may have occurred
Purdy’s teammates said they didn’t notice anything unusual with the quarterback during the game or afterward and most didn’t know he was in the concussion protocol until they arrived at the team facility Wednesday morning. The hit that caused the concussion may have occurred during a fourth-quarter sneak in which the crown of Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks’ helmet crashed into the front of Purdy’s helmet. On the next play, Purdy made his worst throw of the game, one down the middle of the field that was intercepted by safety Camryn Bynum.
Purdy said afterward that he lost sight of his target, Jauan Jennings, during the play and threw to the spot where he expected Jennings to be. Purdy also threw an interception on the ensuing drive, his third of the season, which sealed the game. – Wheelbarrows
Required reading
(Photo: David Berding / Getty Images)