The San Francisco 49ers showed in Week 2 that they could manage without Brock Purdy, as Mac Jones stepped in and helped secure a win over the New Orleans Saints. With Week 3 on deck, the focus shifts to whether Purdy will be ready to suit up.
He hurt his toe during the season opener against Seattle but played through it, capping things off with a game-winning drive that ended in a 4-yard touchdown strike to Jake Tonges.
After back-to-back road trips, the 49ers will finally have their home opener at Levi’s Stadium, where they’ll host NFC West rival Arizona Cardinals.
Ahead of the game, CBS Sports NFL analyst Emory Hunt believes the 49ers should go with Jones because he showed he can fill the starting quarterback role. Moreover, Hunt says that the Cardinals are a team that the Alabama product should be able to handle.
“If Mac Jones went out there and laid an egg versus the New Orleans Saints, then you’d say, ‘Okay, you kind of got to go with Brock Purdy because of the opponent,’” Hunt said on the September 17 edition of “CBS Sports HQ.”
“But because he went out there and played well, kept the offense afloat, you saw the balance, the run game was popping a little bit. They had some timely plays in the passing game. He didn’t turn the ball over. He wasn’t a liability out there.
“So, you have the luxury of stashing Brock Purdy for another week cause we know the Cardinals will find a way to Cardinal up a game or two, just like they almost did that last weekend against the Carolina Panthers, where the Panthers came storming back, recovered an onside kick, and the Cardinals nearly gave that game away.
49ers Told to Take Cautious Approach with QB Brock Purdy
Over the offseason, the 49ers decided to sign Purdy to a five-year, $265 million contract extension in May 2025. As a result, any injury situation needs to be taken with a long-term lens, which is why Hunt believes that taking a cautious approach should be the strategy.
“So if you’re San Francisco, you invested all this money in Brock Purdy, [and] you have all this money invested in other key players on offense, [so] don’t rush to get him back out there. I think Mac Jones can handle the Arizona Cardinals.
“Even if you lose this ball game, it’s still don’t sacrifice [the player for] this one game, the rest of the season for this one game. So I would, you know, play with caution when you’re dealing with Brock Purdy because he’s so important to what they do offensively.”
Brock Purdy Gets Positive Injury Update
On September 18, 49ers general manager John Lynch joined KNBR and gave an update on Brock Purdy’s injury as the team considers whether he will suit up against Arizona.
“I can tell you that it was encouraging to see him practice,” Lynch said during his radio appearance. “He was limited yesterday…the key now is how does he respond to that…We will make an organizational decision on where Brock’s at later in the week, but it’s encouraging to see him out there.”