On Wednesday afternoon, we received surprising injury news from ESPN’s Adam Schefter that San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy is in concussion protocol, putting his status for this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals in doubt.
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Will Brock Purdy Play This Week?
According to Adam Schefter, the last time a player was in concussion protocol and played that same week was Kenny Pickett, and that was in Week 7 of 2022. With that in mind, it seems very unlikely that Purdy will be active against the Bengals this week.
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After this report came out, the sportsbooks quickly made adjustments to the betting lines for Bengals vs. 49ers. At DraftKings Sportsbook, the point spread moved from 49ers -5.5 to 49ers -3.5. So, if you were wondering how valuable Purdy is to this 49ers offense, that is sort of your answer, as the spread might continue to drop once it’s official that he is out and if more money comes in on the Bengals.
Even with Purdy’s status in doubt, the 49ers are still 3.5-point home favorites against the Bengals. This is despite Deebo Samuel most likely being out another week and Trent Williams missing practice on Wednesday.
Who Would Start in Place of Brock Purdy?
If Purdy is ruled out, Schefter reported that Sam Darnold would get the start on Sunday. The former New York Jets and Carolina Panthers quarterback won a competition with Trey Lance to be Purdy’s primary backup in the preseason.
Although Darnold has struggled since being drafted No. 3 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, he is still one of the more talented backup QBs in the NFL and has never played under a head coach like Kyle Shanahan or been surrounded by as many weapons offensively. Filling in for Purdy against the Bengals won’t be an easy matchup by any means, but there are far worse options than Darnold at the position.