Despite having a winning record, the San Francisco 49ers have had a devastating season due to numerous injuries. Many of their top players have missed time, and some will be out for the remainder of the season. Just last game, they lost linebacker Fred Warner for the season, and earlier in the year, they lost Nick Bosa to an ACL tear.
It seems that every season, injuries ravage the 49ers, preventing them from reaching their lofty expectations. Amongst all the injuries, one of the big ones is to quarterback Brock Purdy. He has only played in two games this season due to turf toe injury, but a return to the field seems to be right around the corner.
Brock Purdy Injury Update
There seems to be some optimism around Purdy that he will be able to return in Week 7 against the Atlanta Falcons. According to Adam Schefter, Purdy has “a chance” to play Sunday.
Purdy returned to practice this week and was a limited participant in Thursday’s practice. However, 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan confirmed that the team is expecting Mac Jones to start this week instead of Purdy.
The 49ers do not want to rush Purdy back, and they do not have to, thanks to the play of Mac Jones so far this season.
Mac Jones Keeping Offense Afloat
Luckily for the 49ers, they have not missed a beat on offense without Purdy. Jones has stepped in and played very well, and helped them to a 4-2 record on the season. Jones has a similar play style to Purdy, so Shanahan likely did not have to make any changes to the playbook.
Jones is completing 67.3% of his passes for 1,252 yards and six touchdowns with three interceptions. Also, Jones has recorded a 78.1 QB Impact Rating across his starts. While his numbers may not be overwhelming, if you look across the league, he is playing like an above-average backup.
Due to injuries, the 49ers do not have much to work with on offense. They are down George Kittle, Ricky Pearsall, Brandon Aiyuk, and Jauan Jennings. Jones and Christian McCaffrey have carried the offense for the last few weeks.
San Francisco will have difficulty competing with the top teams in the league, but Purdy’s return after this week could at least make things a little easier.
