49ers' Shanahan Provides Brock Purdy Shoulder Injury Update; Status vs. Bills TBD

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that quarterback Brock Purdy did some light throwing without any setbacks on Monday, and his progress will be monitored throughout the week as he recovers from a right shoulder injury that kept him out of Sunday's loss against the Green Bay Packers.

"We'll see how it feels on Wednesday..." Shanahan told reporters regarding Purdy's injury and his potential availability against the Buffalo Bills next weekend. "Hopefully it responds better this week than it did last week with the rest."

Purdy's inability to play on Sunday came as a surprise to both the quarterback and the team.

"I don't want to say there's long-term concern," Shanahan told reporters last week. "We thought he just needed some rest, and we really weren't concerned about [him] not being good this week. But when he started up Thursday, it just surprised him, surprised us with how it felt. So we had to shut him down. I really don't know what to think of it. ... But the way it responded this week, it's really up in the air next week."

The Niners turned to Brandon Allen against the Packers, and the results weren't pretty—he finished 17-of-29 for 199 yards, a touchdown, an interception, a lost fumble and two sacks taken. The Niners managed just 241 yards of total offense, had three turnovers, only held the ball for 23 minutes and 17 seconds, were 3-for-10 on third downs and 0-for-2 on fourth.

"To have those three turnovers, and all three led to touchdowns with 21 points," Shanahan told reporters after the game. "You top that with the penalties and stuff, that's how you get embarrassed like that."

Despite the performance, Shanahan said that Allen would start against the Bills if Purdy can't go, and not Josh Dobbs.

Despite San Francisco's rough start to the 2024 season—one beset by injuries—an NFC West title is still very much a possibility. The Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals are atop the division at 6-5, while the Niners and Los Angeles Rams are each 5-6, though San Fran's 1-3 record in divisional games thus far isn't doing them any favors.

Regardless, the Niners clearly need a healthy Purdy to turn this ship around. Facing one of the NFL's top contenders in the Bills, with Allen under center, is likely a recipe for disaster.