49ers QB Brock Purdy did not return to the game after leaving with just under 2 minutes to play.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that quarterback Brock Purdy is dealing with a nerve issue in his right elbow and will have further testing on Tuesday. He didn’t have any more specifics about Brock’s injury:
“They didn’t tell me. I doubt it. We’ll probably check on it tomorrow. I’m not exactly sure.” The follow-up question for Shanahan was about Purdy’s status for next week and whether it was up in the air. Shanahan responded, “Yeah.”
Kyle’s update, Tuesday, December 31, 11:06 a.m.: Kyle Shanahan said that Brock Purdy avoided a serious injury to his right elbow. Purdy’s MRI revealed a right elbow bruise with some nerve inflammation. Brock won’t play in the season-finale against the Arizona Cardinals. The good news is that Purdy did not suffer from any long-term implications.
Shanahan has not decided whether Josh Dobbs or Brandon Allen will start. He added that it’s a game where having a mobile quarterback would make sense, hinting that Dobbs would start.
This was the worry when you play your franchise quarterback to be in a meaningless game. There’s a chance for injury whenever you step onto the field, but Purdy was playing behind a pair of first-time starters on the left side of the line.
Great analysis! Fun fact, when they do the UCL repair, surgeons have to move the ulnar nerve from the groove to do the repair and may not put it back. In cases where they do, the nerve can sublux and cause chronic pain. So it’s definitely possible that it was a stinger to the… https://t.co/q1o7sVHE6V
— Coach Dezi, PA-C (@Coach_Dezi) December 31, 2024
At the Podium, Brock said, “Doesn’t feel the best. … My arm was on fire. Tried throwing couple on sideline and couldn’t. … Did tests with UCL, but it was good in that regard.”
Shanahan said Purdy “had a real good night, except those two picks. It seems like he was playing at a real high level.” Shanahan said the ball just sailed on Purdy on those throws:
“I think he thought the free safety was playing deeper than he was. The free safety just read his eyes and teed off on it. It looked like Cover 3, but I think he was a Tampa 2 player.”
Based on the replay, it was an inverted Cover 2, and the safety was waiting for the “drift” route over the middle that Pearsall ran. It was a great call by the Lions, who seemingly played into the 49ers’ tendencies.
We’ll have updates once Shanahan or a national reporter reveals how Purdy’s MRI goes on Tuesday.