Just when the San Francisco 49ers’ playoff push seemed smooth — BAM — Brock Purdy and Nick Bosa are out. Two of the 49ers’ biggest stars are sidelined for Week 12, leaving fans scrambling to figure out how this shake-up will mess with the Super Bowl dreams.
Will the backup squad rise to the challenge, or is this the twist no one saw coming? Either way, this one’s going to be a crazy ride.
Brock Purdy and Nick Bosa Out, 49ers Fans in Shock
As if the Week 12 showdown against the Green Bay Packers wasn’t already loaded with tension, the 49ers dropped a bombshell: both Purdy and Bosa are out. Purdy, dealing with some lingering discomfort, sat out Friday’s practice after a brief appearance on Thursday. And as for Bosa? He’s out with an oblique injury.
“It’s really over,” said one heartbroken fan, feeling the gut punch from the 49ers.
Its really over pic.twitter.com/PhO7KvdnGO
— Wigar 🚬 (@CigarCurry) November 22, 2024
“Season is over, see you in 2025 San Francisco 😭😭” said one fan. Social media users are throwing in the towel, and some are already mourning next season.
Season is over, see you in 2025 San Francisco 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/51jzdVFC9F
— Tijntje (@Tijntjuuhh) November 22, 2024
“Can’t see the 49ers getting anything out of this,” another fan wrote, pretty much calling it quits before the game even starts.
Can't see the 49ers getting anything out of this game
— Dan (@dailystartupfix) November 22, 2024
And then there’s this fan who said, “That changes everything! Packers are now favored!”
But it’s not all sadness in San Francisco. Purdy’s backup Brandon Allen is excited about getting his moment in the limelight. Head coach Kyle Shanahan is backing him, saying, “Outside of here people haven’t seen a lot of Brandon. But it’s his second year (with the 49ers). Obviously guys want Brock up, but guys are excited to see Brandon play.”
“I know it’s disappointing. We knew there was a chance with Nick. I think the guys were a little surprised with Brock yesterday. But we’re gonna have 48 guys in uniform. I know our guys believe in themselves. I know I believe in them. We’re missing two good players definitely, but we’ve got a lot of good players.”
But don’t worry 49ers fans, Shanahan provided some hope that the injury wouldn’t be long-term.
“I don’t want to say there’s long-term concern. We got the MRI on Monday. We thought he just needed some rest and really weren’t concerned about him not being good this week. But when he started up Thursday, just surprised him, surprised us, how it felt. So we had to shut him down,” Shanahan said.
“So, I really don’t what to think of it. The MRI doesn’t look like that, so it should be alright. But the way it responded this week, it’s really up in the air for next week, so we’ll have to see on Monday.”
It is understandable that San Francisco fans are upset about the news. Purdy has been playing exceptionally well this season. Based on Pro Football Network’s proprietary Quarterback+ metric, Purdy is currently the fifth-best QB in the league with an overall B+ grade. He is only behind guys like Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Jared Goff. However, he is coming off one of the worst performances this year.
“Week 11 saw Brock Purdy produce his second-worst performance of the season, returning a C grade with a score that was marginally above average. He was particularly bad from a clean pocket, which is a trend we have seen throughout the season, as he ranks 21st. In comparison, Purdy ranks third in the league when pressured, but even that was below his normal level this past week.”
It has been a really tough season for the 49ers, and they will be kicking themselves for letting three games slip through their hands, results that could end up costing them a chance to repeat as NFC champions. The 49ers’ schedule has very little let-up, and that could be their undoing. This group is now an underdog to earn a playoff invite, with games against the Bills (Week 13) and Lions (Week 17) looming as their biggest hurdles.
We know this team’s potential, and that makes ruling them out dangerous, but they’ve certainly put themselves behind the eight ball as winter approaches. At 5-5, PFN’s Playoff Predictor currently gives the 49ers a 24.4% of making the postseason.