Tag: 49ers vs Lions

Brock Purdy avoids catastrophe with right elbow injury

Great news for Brock Purdy’s elbow injury.

The San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Brock Purdy got good news on his injured right elbow.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Tuesday following the 49ers’ 40-34 loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday night told reporters Purdy has a right elbow contusion with nerve inflammation. The injury isn’t considered to be a long-term issue, but it is likely to keep Purdy out of the team’s Week 18 finale against the Arizona Cardinals.

Shanahan also said Purdy avoided any issues with his right UCL, which he had surgically repaired after tearing it in the 2022 NFC championship game.

Purdy took a hit to the elbow late in Monday’s loss when Lions safety Brian Branch got free on a blitz off of Purdy’s blind side. It looked mostly innocuous when it happened, but Purdy was shown by the television broadcast being tended to by trainers and unsuccessfully trying to throw a football.

He finished Monday’s game 27-of-35 for 377 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

If his season is over, he’ll have finished the year with a 65.9 percent completion rate, 3,864 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 96.1 passer rating. He also rushed for 323 yards and five touchdowns.

Next up for the QB is a contract extension, which he’s eligible for as soon as Week 18 ends. That contract negotiation will dominate headlines for the 49ers until it gets hammered out.

As for Week 18, it appears Joshua Dobbs is in line to get the start against the Cardinals after performing well in Purdy’s stead against Detroit. Dobbs went 3-of-4 for 34 yards and a seven-yard rushing touchdown.

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Brock Purdy matches Colin Kaepernick feat vs. Detroit Lions

San Francisco’s Brock Purdy matched a feat that no 49ers quarterback has registered since Colin Kaepernick.

In the 49ers’ Monday Night Football battle against the Detroit Lions, San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy notched a statistical milestone that no 49ers signal-caller has tracked down since Colin Kaepernick.

Facing a second-and-goal snap from the Detroit 9-yard line, Purdy scrambled and then pump faked his way into the end zone for a 9-yard rushing score.

The rushing touchdown extended the 49ers’ lead over the Detroit Lions to 21-13. It also represented Purdy’s fifth rushing touchdown of the season, which matches Kaepernick for the most rushing touchdowns by a 49er quarterback in a season since Kaepernick also had five rushing scores during the 2012 San Francisco season.

Before Monday, Purdy had a pair of 1-yard rushing touchdowns against Kansas City on Oct. 20, a 2-yard rushing score against the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 27 and a pair of and a 10-yard touchdown run against the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 17.

Purdy opened San Francisco’s Monday night battle against Detroit 14-of-16 passing in the first half for 200 yards with touchdown strikes of 3 and 9 yards to 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall and San Francisco fullback Kyle Juszczyk.

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Brock Purdy exits with apparent arm injury after taking hit vs. Lions

Uh oh…

Another bad night for the San Francisco 49ers got worse late in their Monday night game vs. the Detroit Lions.

Quarterback Brock Purdy took a hit to his blind side from Lions safety Brian Branch and immediately left the game. It appeared his hand or wrist was being tended to on the sideline. The television broadcast showed him make a couple of soft throws on the sideline before giving up his helmet.

This is a nightmare scenario for Purdy and the 49ers.

The QB left the game with under two minutes to go and the 49ers trailing by 12 points. Joshua Dobbs, the backup signal caller for Monday night, finished out the contest.

It’s unclear what the injury is for Purdy, but the fact he didn’t give a real try to throw the ball on the sideline was reminiscent of the 2022 NFC championship game when Purdy suffered a torn UCL that required offseason surgery.

Purdy is due for a contract extension once the 2024 regular season ends, so his injury could have big-time ramifications that ripple well beyond the 2024 season.

We’ll keep a close eye on any updates about Purdy’s throwing arm/hand.

Update

Head coach Kyle Shanahan provided an update on Purdy’s injury immediately following Monday’s game.

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49ers superstar hits rare statistical milestone

One of San Francisco’s stars hit a rare statistical milestone early during the 49ers’ Monday Night Football matchup vs. the Detroit Lions.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has long since been established as one of the NFL’s top players at his position.

With his second grab of the night early in the 49ers‘ Monday Night Football date versus the Detroit Lions, Kittle joined an exclusive club among NFL tight ends.

On San Francisco’s second possession of the night, Kittle reeled in a Brock Purdy pass over the middle and took it 18 yards on the reception. Combined with his 20-yard grab to begin the evening on San Francisco’s first offensive series, Kittle eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving plateau for the 2024 NFL season.

It’s the fourth time in Kittle’s career that he has surpassed 1,000 yards receiving in a season.

In the process, Kittle joined Travis Kelce (7), Tony Gonzalez (4), Rob Gronkowski (4) and Jason Witten (4) as one of only five tight ends that have recorded four 1,000-yard receiving seasons in their respective careers.

Kittle caught 88 passes for 1,377 yards in 2018, hauled in 85 grabs for 1,053 yards in 2019 and he snatched 65 receptions for 1,020 yards during the 2023 NFL season.

The eighth-year pro entered Monday night with 68 receptions, 967 receiving yards and eight touchdowns during the 2024 NFL season.

WATCH: 49ers rookie makes sweet catch to convert 3rd down vs. Lions

Ricky Pearsall is finding his way in the NFL.

What a first quarter for 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall on Monday night.

San Francisco’s 2024 first-round pick has been more involved in the offense the last couple weeks. He earned a pair of targets in the first quarter against the Detroit Lions in Week 17.

The first one was a three-yard touchdown grab in the front corner of the end zone that put the 49ers ahead 7-0. That capped an 11-play, 61-yard opening drive for San Francisco.

The second one came on their second drive of the evening on a third-and-4.

Thanks to some heavy pressure from Detroit, quarterback Brock Purdy had to uncork his throw a little early and left his toss to Pearsall on a deep out a little bit high. That didn’t matter for the sure-handed rookie out of the University of Florida:

Pearsall had a difficult start to his rookie year after missing a ton of training camp because of hamstring and shoulder injuries. Then he suffered a gunshot wound the weekend before the regular season started. He’s starting to gain his footing in the 49ers’ offense though, and it’s hard not to be optimistic about his future when he’s making these kinds of catches.

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49ers avoid further catastrophe on starting OL for Week 17 vs. Lions

A small sigh of relief on the offensive line for the 49ers.

The San Francisco 49ers avoided an even steeper catastrophe on their offensive line Monday night.

Starting offensive lineman Colton McKivitz is officially active for the 49ers after being listed as ‘questionable’ on the Week 17 injury report because of a knee injury that cropped up during the week of practice. He was a non-participant in the final two sessions of the week, lending some concern that his injury may force him out of the starting lineup for the 49ers’ final home game of the 2024 campaign.

Starting left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) and starting left guard Aaron Banks (knee) are already on IR. Backup left tackle Jaylon Moore (quad) is also on IR, and third-string left tackle Spencer Burford is inactive because of a calf injury he sustained in Week 16. That means the 49ers are down to their fourth-string left tackle, so needing to also fill in for McKivitz would have only exacerbated an already massive issue for San Francisco.

Here are the other inactives for Week 17:

QB Brandon Allen (QB3)
CB Charvarius Ward (personal)
LB Dre Greenlaw (calf)
OL Spencer Burford (calf)
DL Robert Beal Jr. (ankle)
DL Khalil Davis
RB Israel Abanikanda

Safety Ji’Ayir Brown and linebacker Tatum Bethune are both active after being listed as questionable on the injury report. Bethune has been out since Week 12 with a knee injury. He was activated off IR before Monday’s game. Brown was working through an ankle injury.

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49ers activate rookie LB, claim CB off waivers from Titans

Roster moves are a doozy before Monday Night Football.

The San Francisco 49ers on Monday were busy ahead of their Week 17 showdown with the Detroit Lions.

In an expected move, they placed offensive lineman Aaron Banks on IR. Banks is dealing with an MCL injury he suffered in Week 16. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said the starting left guard would miss the final two regular season games. His placement on IR officially ends his season.

Banks, a second-round pick in the 2021 draft, is set to hit free agency in the offseason.

To replace Banks on the roster, the 49ers activated rookie linebacker Tatum Bethune off IR. Bethune had his practice window opened ahead of Week 17 and he was officially listed as ‘questionable’ after undergoing three full practice sessions. All indications point toward the seventh-round pick making his first appearance since Week 11 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Bethune in his rookie season has primarily contributed on special teams, playing 130 special teams snaps and only eight defensive snaps. He has two tackles and one fumble recovery in nine games.

The 49ers also announced they claimed cornerback Tre Avery off waivers from the Tennessee Titans. Avery was an undrafted rookie for Tennessee after the 2022 draft. He played in 38 games with five starts across his two-plus seasons in Tennessee. Avery has 54 tackles, 11 pass breakups and one fumble recovery in his career. The Titans waived Avery leading up to their Week 17 game. He’ll provide special teams depth with some players roles changing while CB Charvarius Ward is absent for a personal matter.

San Francisco elevated defensive lineman Alex Barrett from the practice squad for the second time this season. He adds depth with defensive end Robert Beal out because of an ankle injury. Undrafted rookie offensive lineman Drake Nugent is also up from the practice squad in what will be his regular season debut.

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49ers vs. Lions injury report: Latest updates, news for Week 17

All the latest updates and news on the 49ers’ injury report ahead of a Week 17 game vs. the Lions.

The San Francisco 49ers’ already-struggling offensive line may suffer another blow heading into an NFC championship game rematch with the Detroit Lions.

With left tackle Trent Williams and left guard Aaron Banks already out for the season, right tackle Colton McKivitz showed up on the practice participation report as a non-participant the final two days of practice before being listed as ‘questionable’ on the official injury report because of a knee injury.

To make matters worse, offensive lineman Spencer Burford, who was supposed to start at left tackle with Williams and his backup Jaylon Moore on IR for the season, is listed as ‘out’ on the injury report with a calf injury he sustained in the team’s Week 16 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

If McKivitz is out, expect Charlie Heck and Austen Pleasants to take the starting offensive tackle jobs. Pleasants was added to the practice squad and promoted to the active roster before Week 16, while Heck was signed in the lead up to Week 17.

It may be a long night for quarterback Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ offense on Monday.

49ers injury report

Out

LG Aaron Banks (knee)
DE Robert Beal (ankle)
OL Spencer Burford (calf)
LB Dre Greenlaw (calf)

Questionable

LB Tatum Bethune (knee)
S Ji’Ayir Brown (ankle)
RT Colton McKivitz (knee)
CB Charvarius Ward (not injury related – personal matter)

Lions injury report

Out

RB David Montgomery (knee)
WR Kalif Raymond (foot)

Questionable

LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (neck)

The 49ers and Lions kick off from Levi’s Stadium at 5:15pm Pacific Time on Monday.

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ESPN predicts 49ers to finish 2024 schedule strong

ESPN shared scored predictions for the 2024 season’s final three weeks and it shows the 49ers finishing the season strong.

The San Francisco 49ers have just three games left in their 2024 season.

Sitting with a 6-8 overall record and a 1-4 mark in NFC West games, San Francisco is all but eliminated from the NFL playoffs.

Still, the 49ers want to end the 2024 season with some pride and they have the opportunity to finish with a winning record if they win out.

With games left at Miami (6-8), versus Detroit (12-2) and at Arizona (7-7), San Francisco has the opportunity to end the season with some momentum and set the table for a return to prominence in 2025.

Using simulations from its Football Power Index, ESPN forecasted every remaining game in the NFL’s regular season, including how the 49ers’ final three games would play out.

ESPN’s simulation forecasts San Francisco to close its final three weeks strong. Here’s what the simulation produced for scores in the 49ers’ final three games of 2024:

  • Week 16: San Francisco 24, Miami 14
  • Week 17: Detroit 38, San Francisco 31
  • Week 18: San Francisco 19, Arizona 10

While these results wouldn’t have the 49ers finishing with a winning record, it does have San Francisco closing with two more wins and a one-score loss against the projected No. 1 seed in the NFC in Detroit.

Among some of the other notable projections from ESPN’s FPI, the simulation forecasts the Los Angeles Rams to top the Seattle Seahawks in the season’s final week, 16-7, and capture the NFC West crown.

ESPN’s FPI projects the full seeding in the NFC to play out as follows: Detroit is the No. 1 seed, Philadelphia No. 2, Tampa Bay No. 3, Los Angeles No. 4, Minnesota No. 5, Green Bay No. 6 and Washington No. 7.

In the AFC, ESPN’s FPI projects the Kansas City Chiefs to capture the No. 1 seed, though Buffalo would close to within one game of Kansas City after a Chiefs loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17.

The full AFC Playoff picture looks like this per ESPN’s FPI simulation: Kansas City is the No. 1 seed, Buffalo No. 2, Pittsburgh No. 3, Houston No. 4, Baltimore No. 5, the Los Angeles Chargers No. 6 and Denver No. 7.

Kickoff for San Francisco at Miami in Week 16 is set for 1:25 p.m PT and the game will air on CBS.

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Why 49ers were worried about facing Buccaneers in NFC championship game

Kyle Shanahan: Big Baker Mayfield guy.

The San Francisco 49ers punched their ticket to Super Bowl LVIII with a thrilling NFC championship game victory over the Detroit Lions.

While the Lions’ sensational first-half performance forced a dramatic comeback by the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium, Detroit nearly didn’t get out of the divisional playoffs after an eight-point victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday told reporters he wasn’t excited about the prospect of facing the Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield.

“I think Baker is a stud,” Shanahan said. “I think last year, I thought he was at the top of his game last year playing real well and this year I think he’s the same, if not better. I think he’s one of the main reasons I think they were a couple plays away from playing us in the NFC Championship last year. We were worried, real worried about him going into that game. He just got hotter as the whole year went. And he’s playing at such a high level right now.”

The 49ers saw Mayfield up close in Week 11 last season. He completed 29-of-45 throws for 246 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a 27-14 San Francisco victory at Levi’s Stadium. The numbers weren’t great, but he made some sensational throws in that game that helped paint a picture of what he might be capable of in a better offense.

This year, Buccaneers new offensive coordinator Liam Coen has gotten the most out of Mayfield. Even without his top two wide receivers, Mayfield managed to go into Kansas City in Week 9 and go 23-of-31 for 200 yards and two touchdowns.

Shanahan was worried about facing Mayfield in January, but now in Week 10 the 49ers will have to face him with their chances of playing next January hanging in the balance.

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