San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy will miss Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers with a sore throwing shoulder, dealing another blow to the 49ers’ playoff hopes.
Purdy injured his right shoulder in last Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He underwent an MRI on Monday that showed no structural damage, and the team initially thought he could play this week.
But when Purdy’s shoulder didn’t feel right when he made a few warmup throws at practice Thursday, those plans changed.
“We thought he just needed some rest, and we really weren’t concerned about him not being good this week,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday. “But when he started up Thursday, it just surprised him, surprised us how it felt. So we had to shut him down.”
Shanahan said the team doesn’t believe the injury is a long-term concern but he is uncertain whether Purdy will need to miss any additional time.
“The MRI doesn’t look like that, so it should be all right,” Shanahan said. “But the way it responded this week, it’s really up in the air for next week. We’ll have to see on Monday.”
The 49ers also will be missing star defensive end Nick Bosa, who is out after leaving last week’s game in the second half with injuries to his left hip and oblique. Left tackle Trent Williams is questionable with an ankle injury and will be a game-time decision.
San Francisco struggled on defense without Bosa last week and now will go the entire game this week without two of the team’s most important players.
The Niners (5–5) are currently in a three-way tie for second in the NFC West, a game behind first-place Arizona, and have little margin for error if they want to get back to the playoffs after making it to the Super Bowl last season.
“I know it’s disappointing,” Shanahan said. “We knew there was a chance for Nick. I think the guys were a little surprised with Brock yesterday, but we addressed all that today. We’re going to have 48 guys in uniform. I know our guys believe in themselves. I believe in them. We’re missing two good players, definitely. But we got a lot of good players out there. So by no means do we not have a chance to win.”
This will be the first time Purdy has missed a start because of an injury since taking over as the 49ers’ quarterback in December 2022. Brandon Allen will start in his place.
Purdy has completed 66% of his passes this season for 2,613 yards, 13 TDs, eight interceptions and a 95.9 passer rating that is down significantly from his league-leading mark of 113 in 2023.
Allen has been mostly a backup since being drafted by Jacksonville in 2016. Allen last started a game in Week 18 of the 2021 season for Cincinnati and has thrown just three passes the last three seasons — including none since joining San Francisco in 2023.
Allen said his preparation hadn’t changed this week, with the exception of getting to work with the first-team receivers instead of running the scout team.
“It’s an opportunity,” he said. “The circumstances are what they are. But I think our team all year long we’ve been kind of dealing with injuries here and there. It’s been a big next-man-up mentality. It’s definitely an opportunity for me to go out and play well and put our guys in a good position to win the game. Obviously, we want Brock back and healthy and all that. But for the time being, it is an opportunity for me.”
Joshua Dobbs will be the backup Sunday.
San Francisco also will be without starting cornerback Charvarius Ward, who returned to the team this week following the death of his 1-year-old daughter on Oct. 28 but needs more time to get back up to speed. Punt returner Jacob Cowing (concussion), linebacker Tatum Bethune (knee) and defensive lineman Kevin Givens (groin) are also out.
The Packers will also be without two key defensive players, with cornerback Jaire Alexander ruled out after leaving last week’s game with a knee injury and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper out with an injured hamstring.
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