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Report: 49ers' Brock Purdy Believed to Have UCL Injury; Will Undergo MRI on Elbow
January 29, 2023
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is believed to have suffered a UCL injury during Sunday's 31-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game and will undergo an MRI on Monday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter49ers believe QB Brock Purdy injured his ulnar collateral ligament during today's NFC Championship Game, per sources, and he will undergo an MRI Monday. The hope is that it's not ruptured, and it would require only a six-week recovery, but tests Monday will provide clarity.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after Sunday's loss that Purdy would not have been put back into the game if "we hadn't had to":
Cam Inman @CamInman<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/49ers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#49ers</a> Kyle Shanahan on if they know severity of Brock Purdy elbow injury:<br>"No we don't. We have to get an MRI. He couldn't throw. He wouldn't have gone back in if we hadn't had to<br>It was that or we were going to have wildcat. We didn't get long enough drives to show that either
Purdy originally left the game in the first quarter after being injured while losing a fumble on San Francisco's first possession.
He did, however, return to the game after backup Josh Johnson suffered a concussion during the second half, as the 49ers had no other quarterbacks active.
After the game, Purdy told reporters that he had let head coach Kyle Shanahan know that he wasn't able to throw deep when he returned to the game:
Cam Inman @CamInmanPurdy on what he said to Shanahan before returning to game:<br>"I told him right there if we run a play, I can't throw deep. It's hurting really bad. If we're going to get a complete, it has to be something short, if that's alright."<br><br>(If that's alright. Sums up his humility)
The idea of Purdy starting the NFC Championship Game would have been an outlandish one for the 49ers at the start of the season.
After all, they selected him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL draft as more of a depth addition to a roster that already had Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. However, Mr. Irrelevant was thrown into the lineup when Lance and Garoppolo suffered injuries during the regular season.
All he did was go 5-0 in five regular-season starts and then continue his winning ways with postseason victories over the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys.
Part of Purdy's success can be attributed to the talented teammates around him, as he can distribute the ball to the likes of Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk, among others.
However, he has far exceeded expectations and entered Sunday's contest just one win away from the Super Bowl.