San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy exited with an apparent right arm injury after he was sacked late in the 49ers’ Monday Night Football loss against the Detroit Lions.
Afterwards, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan gave an initial injury update on Purdy, revealing that the 49ers quarterback was sidelined with a right elbow injury.
That’s the same elbow that Purdy tore his ulnar collateral ligament in during the 2022 NFC championship game loss versus the Philadelphia Eagles.
Shanahan said that Purdy’s status for the 49ers’ season finale at Arizona is now up in the air. Purdy will undergo an MRI on Tuesday to further diagnose the injury.
Kyle Shanahan says Brock Purdy left the field in the fourth quarter after injuring his right elbow. His status for the finale it up in the air.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) December 31, 2024
Shanahan said the initial belief is that the injury is not serious and that Purdy just got hit in the wrong spot, leading to some nerve issues.
“I wouldn’t think so,” Shanahan said when asked if Purdy’s injury would be a long-term concern. “I mean, I’m just speculating right now. I know everyone when they hear about Brock’s elbow and stuff, just like me, you think of the elbow injury from a couple years ago.
“But, just talking to the doctors, he just got hit in the right spot. When you get hit there, your nerves go and you can’t feel much, but hopefully it’ll be alright.”
Purdy also spoke with reporters following the loss and said he was unsure about the severity of his injury.
“Nothing right now. We’re going to get an MRI tomorrow and see. I mean, it doesn’t feel the best, but just leave it at that. We’ll see tomorrow,” Purdy said.
Purdy detailed how he was injured on the Brian Branch sack.
“On that sack, I got hit on the back side and, yeah, basically just my arm was on fire kind of thing. So, I tried throwing a couple on the sideline and I couldn’t at that point.
“It has nothing to do with tapping out of a game or anything like that. I love my teammates and I’ll go to the very end for them and this fan base and everybody. That’s what hurts me is I couldn’t finish the game, but again we’ll see tomorrow,” Purdy said.
Asked if the pain was similar to what he felt when he tore his UCL versus Philadelphia in that 2022 NFC championship game, Purdy provided a positive update on that front.
“A little bit, but we did some tests with UCL stuff and I’m good in that regard, but we’ve just got to go get imaging on it tomorrow and see the whole thing,” Purdy said.
San Francisco closes its 2024 season at the Arizona Cardinals with kickoff set for 1:25 p.m. PT on Sunday, Jan. 5.