On Sunday afternoon, the San Francisco 49ers picked up their first loss of the season with a close home defeat at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The game marked the return of quarterback Brock Purdy, who had been injured for the last couple of weeks and seen backup Mac Jones win two games in his absence.
After the game on Sunday, reports surfaced that Purdy's toe injury, the same one that had kept him out initially, was flaring back up again. Making matters more complicated for the 49ers is the fact that the team is on a short week this week, set to play against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday evening.
Recently, 49ers general manager John Lynch confirmed that his quarterback may not be suiting up for that game.
“We will take every precaution to make sure Brock’s all right,” Lynch said on KNBR radio, also noting that Purdy had MRI exams on his toe, per The Athletic. “I think he is. Now it’s just a matter of, can he turn it around on a short week?”
The 49ers will reportedly practice only once this week, which will be a walk-through on Tuesday ahead of Thursday's game.
A potentially big issue for the 49ers
In addition to his play on the field, another factor that caused some to hesitate about the 49ers' decision to pay Brock Purdy a lucrative contract this past offseason was the fact that he has been a notable injury risk throughout his career, dating back to his first season as the starter in 2022.
Since then, Purdy has dealt with various ailments, including this most recent injury, which could keep him out of Thursday's highly important showdown with Los Angeles.
The winner of that game will have control over the NFC West with a record of 4-1, while the loser will drop to 3-2. San Francisco would certainly like to come out on the right side of things, but it remains to be seen how Mac Jones would fare against an elite Los Angeles defense.
In any case, the Rams and 49ers are set to kick off on Thursday at 8:15 PM ET.
