Purdy set for MRI, couldn't throw after NFC title game injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
PHILADELPHIA — Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy re-entered the NFC Championship Game on Sunday in the third quarter with the 49ers in catch-up mode.
But because of the condition of Purdy’s throwing elbow, it looked as if the 49ers were more concerned with running out the clock on the season.
“He couldn’t throw,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said after the 49ers’ 31-7 season-ending loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. “He would not have gone back in unless he had to.”
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Purdy told reporters after the game that he couldn't throw the football more than five or 10 yards.
"My arm, felt like it stretched out," Purdy said. "Just felt like a really a lot of shocks all over from my elbow down to my wrist, front and back. Just pain really all over."
Purdy sustained a right elbow injury when Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Haason Reddick beat tight end Tyler Kroft to hit Purdy as he was attempting a first-quarter play-action pass.
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Purdy is scheduled for an MRI examination Monday to reveal the severity of his injury, Shanahan said.
Reddick jarred the ball loose from Purdy with the hit to the elbow, and the Eagles recovered the fumble.
Although that play did not result in any points for Philadelphia, it essentially any hope of the 49ers being able to mount a serious challenge to the top-seeded team in the NFC.
The 49ers entered the NFC Championship Game on a 12-game winning streak, eight of which came with Purdy at quarterback.
Purdy completed both of his pass attempts for 19 yards before the injury. He tried to throw on the sideline after that possession but could barely function. Shanahan said he felt there was no other choice but to summon veteran Josh Johnson from the sideline.
After Johnson sustained a concussion early in the third quarter, Purdy was forced to return to the game.
But he simply could not throw the football.
“It was either that or go Wildcat,” Shanahan said. “We would’ve mixed both of them, but we didn’t have long enough drives to show that, either.”
Purdy completed two short pass attempts for just four yards after he returned to the game.
