San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy left their loss to the Detroit Lions early on Monday night with an elbow injury after taking a sack in the final minutes.
Purdy, head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game at Levi’s Stadium, is now dealing with a nerve issue in his throwing elbow. His status for their final game of the season is now in doubt.
Purdy was sacked inside the two minute warning of the 49ers’ 40-34 loss to the Lions on Monday night. Lions safety Brian Branch got to him in the pocket, and Purdy landed awkwardly on his right wrist as he went down. Purdy immediately clenched his right wrist and arm, clearly in a lot of pain.
He went to the sidelines and tried to work through it, but appeared to be unable to really throw the ball. So the 49ers sent in backup Joshua Dobbs to lead the team the rest of the way.
Dobbs finished out the drive successfully. He ran in a 7-yard touchdown, but the team’s onside kick attempt failed. The Lions then held on to grab the six-point win.
Purdy finished throwing 27-of-35 for 377 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He ran in a 9-yard touchdown in the second quarter, too, which gave San Francisco an eight-point lead at halftime. While he kept the 49ers in it for most of the game, the Lions scored a touchdown after both of his interceptions and surged ahead down the stretch to close out the win.
That moved Detroit to 14-2 on the year. The Lions will take on the Vikings next week to close out the regular season in a matchup that will determine who takes the top seed in the NFC playoffs.
The 49ers, however, have already been eliminated from the postseason race and will finish last in the NFC West. They will take on the Arizona Cardinals next week to close out the season. Further specifics of Purdy’s injury are not yet known. He is set to undergo further testing on Tuesday. Purdy said on Monday after the game that his elbow felt like it was on fire after he got hit.
Purdy is entering a critical offseason with the 49ers. The former Iowa State star and last pick in the draft will be eligible for a contract extension next month, and he’s currently slated to make $1.1 million in base salary next season to close out his rookie contract.
It’s unclear what kind of deal the 49ers will be willing to give Purdy, who helped lead the team to their first Super Bowl appearance since the 2019 campaign last season after recovering from elbow surgery the year prior. Several other quarterbacks in the league — like Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Packers quarterback Jordan Love and Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, for example — have signed extensions in the last year worth up to $55 million per year. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is the highest-paid quarterback in the league at $60 million per season.
But Purdy and the 49ers are losing, and his numbers are down almost across the board year-over-year. Not all of that can be placed squarely on his shoulders, but that and now his latest elbow injury will undoubtedly play a significant part in how those negotiations shake out in the coming weeks.
