NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero also said he believes we see 49ers QB Brock Purdy on the field Sunday against the Green Bay Packers
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has been limited in practice all week with soreness in his right throwing shoulder.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero provided an injury update on Thursday after the masses saw reports and swore that Purdy’s status for Sunday was in jeopardy, despite head coach Kyle Shanahan saying it’s a good sign that his quarterback was limited.
Pelissero, on The Rich Eisen Show, was optimistic that we’d see Brock this Sunday in what feels like a must-win game for the Niners:
“Brock Purdy, from everything I’ve been told, should be fine for this game on Sunday against the Packers. He’s got a sore shoulder. I know he dove — I’m not sure if that’s the play — but he dove for the pylon in the game last week. He might have landed on it a little bit. But it’s not anything that’s like a major injury.
They want to ease off him in terms of reps through the week, so he didn’t throw a whole lot in practice yesterday. I fully anticipate, barring some type of a setback or surprise, which sometimes can happen with throwing shoulders, I believe he’ll be in the lineup against the Packers.”
Pelissero speculates that Purdy injured his shoulder on a touchdown run against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11. The adrenaline must’ve worn off after scoring, and Purdy felt the effects of landing on his shoulder. That would explain his ineffectiveness late in the game.
A 75 percent healthy Purdy is 120 percent better than the alternative of Brandon Allen or Josh Dobbs. That might be how healthy Purdy is heading into Week 12 and the rest of the season.
During his weekly appearance on KNBR, John Lynch spoke about Purdy’s injury. He did not have a concrete answer as to when Brock hurt his shoulder:
“I know that he kind of fought through it throughout the course of the game. And I’m not saying anything debilitating, but I did see him, during the course of the game, throwing a lot in between. Anytime there was a pause in the game, he kept throwing. And so, I think, at that point, you’re probably feeling something, but I think he was so focused on trying to win that game.”
Was Purdy continuously throwing to prevent his shoulder from tightening up? Perhaps that’s when he either felt the most pain or knew if he didn’t stay loose or active, his accuracy would fall off a cliff. Brock speaks to the media Friday afternoon, so we’ll have a better idea of how he was feeling if he’s asked by the media.
Lynch spoke about the 49ers plan during practice for Purdy during the week:
“We’ve had a plan to try to try to quiet it down. And Wednesday, didn’t do any throwing. King of went out there and just did practice. Thursday, started to do some throwing, and then went inside and did some rehab, per the plan. So we’ll see where he’s at today. Hopefully, he makes progress, and we can have a shot at this weekend, but we’ll see. I think it’s tenuous.”
Lynch echoes Pelissero, saying he doesn’t believe Purdy’s injury to be serious. That’s likely coming from the information the team received from Brock’s MRI, which Lynch revealed Purdy had:
“We feel good about where it’s at from that standpoint. But still, you have to be able to go out and operate. And so, we’re kind of figuring all that out. Brock’s going to show up here today, and we’ll see where he can go in terms of practice, and we’ll make some decisions accordingly. Brandon Allen and Josh Dobbs would both be ready, but Brandon would get the first snaps.”
The only decision the 49ers need to make is putting together a game plan based on Purdy’s health. If he can’t throw the ball down the field, live short and over the middle. If Brock is feeling fine, run your regular offense. But in a situation where the stakes are at an all-time high, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario where Purdy isn’t on the field.