After missing two games with turf toe, Brock Purdy managed to return to action in Week 4. The 49ers may once again be without their starting quarterback on Thursday, however. 
Purdy did not miss any time in Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars. The injured toe was not an issue during the game. Shortly after the contest, though, Purdy informed head coach Kyle Shanahan he had begun to experience soreness. With the 49ers on a short week, this situation will be worth watching closely.
“Anytime guys are sore and hurting on a Monday, you usually don’t stress too much about it,” Shanahan said, via Matt Barrows of The Athletic (subscription required). “But any time you have a Thursday game, it’s a totally different element. So yeah, I’m concerned with anybody who’s not totally healthy at this moment, but we’ll have to get more information on that… to really kind of have a clue of what to speculate.”
San Francisco did not practice on Monday given the team’s upcoming Thursday night contest against the Rams. On the team’s estimated practice report, Purdy was listed as a non-participant. The 49ers will conduct a walkthrough today as preparation, and it will be interesting to see if he able to take part. Even if that is not the case, the 25-year-old could of course still manage to suit up on Thursday. At this point, Purdy is considered questionable.
“We will take every precaution to make sure Brock’s alright,” general manager John Lynch said during an appearance on KNBR radio this morning (via Barrows). “I think he is.”
Purdy – who inked a five-year, $265MM extension this spring – has totaled 586 passing yards so far this season while throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions in each of his starts. In the event the 2023 Pro Bowler is once again forced to miss time, Mac Jones will return to the lineup. Jones has won each of his starts while posting a 4:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. With a game against the 3-1 Rams upcoming, San Francisco’s quarterback situation will again be something to monitor.
The 49ers offense is one dimensional because their run game ranks 28th. Add to that, that only Detroit has a better sack percentage than the Rams and this matchup could get ugly fast.