26 October 2023 , 17:32
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Footage has emerged showing the moment that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy may have picked up an injury that saw him enter the concussion protocol.
Purdy sustained the injury during Monday night's Week 7 defeat against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium as the Niners were beaten 24-17 to fall to 5-2 for the year and a second consecutive loss after the defeat to the Cleveland Browns in Week 6.
Next up for the Niners is a return to Levi’s Stadium to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night but San Francisco will have to try and get back to winning ways without their starting quarterback.
Purdy managed to play through the full game in Minneapolis without suffering from any concussion-related symptoms. Now video footage has emerged on social media seemingly of the moment when the quarterback appeared to sustain the injury.
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However video footage has emerged showing Purdy attempting a quarterback sneak play around the 50-yard line trying to gain a first down during the fourth quarter. After the snap, Purdy keeps hold of the ball and tries to get past the Vikings defensive line, before he appears to take an unintentional knock to the head from the helmet of a Minnesota player.
Purdy remained on the field for the rest of the game and did not start showing symptoms until the journey back to San Francisco, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. The Niners head coach - who has stated that he did not know exactly when the injury happened - confirmed in a press conference on Wednesday that Purdy underwent medical tests for concussion and will now remain under the league’s protocols.
"He started getting symptoms on the plane," Shanahan told reporters, via . "We finally found that out when we landed. We were all pretty asleep, but then he got all checked up yesterday and now he's in the protocol."
Purdy will now remain on the sidelines in concussion protocol, which means that the Niners will turn to back-up quarterback Sam Darnold for the game against the Bengals. Darnold, formerly of the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, was signed by San Francisco during the offseason and earned his spot as Purdy’s back-up over Trey Lance who was traded to the Dallas Cowboys.
Brock Purdy will not play for the San Francisco 49ers against the Cincinnati Bengals (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)The game against the Bengals will present a challenge for Shanahan and the Niners, with it set to be Darnold’s competitive first start for the franchise. Despite this, the San Francisco head coach has no doubt that Darnold will be able to fulfill the responsibilities during Purdy’s absence.
"I have as much confidence in Sam as I could have with someone that I haven't gotten into a real NFL game with," said Shanahan. "He was great in the off-season. He's been great here in these seven weeks so far and he's always ready to go."