Brock Purdy Hurts Elbow, Likely to Miss Final Game of Season
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy left Monday night’s loss to the Detroit Lions with a hurt surgically repaired throwing elbow, the latest setback in an injury-plagued season for the team. Purdy threw two interceptions in the second half before exiting the game, and he may miss the season finale against Arizona.
Coach Kyle Shanahan revealed that Purdy has a bruise and nerve inflammation in his right elbow, but no long-term damage. The injury occurred when Purdy was sacks by Brian Branch in the final minutes of the game, causing his elbow to hit the face mask of defensive lineman Pat O’Connor. While the initial tests showed no damage to the ulnar collateral ligament, Purdy said his elbow was “on fire” and would be evaluated further.
The injury is the latest blow to the 49ers, who have struggled with injuries to key players all season. With Purdy likely out, coach Kyle Shanahan has not decided whether to start Brandon Allen or Joshua Dobbs in the season finale. Both players have started games this season, with Allen leading the team in a Week 12 loss to Green Bay and Dobbs replacing Purdy for a touchdown drive at the end of Monday’s game.
Purdy’s injury follows a season marked by struggles, including a drop-off in his statistics and only 20 touchdown passes to 12 interceptions. Despite the setbacks, coach Shanahan praised Purdy’s attitude, saying he had “handled the year head-on, attacked everything” and was “disappointed in the turnovers” in Monday’s game. The 49ers will wrap up their season with a 6-10 record, failing to match last year’s success when they made it to the Super Bowl.
