SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brandon Allen, who’s had a single kneel-down snap in nearly two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, will start Sunday’s critical game against the Green Bay Packers.
Allen will make his first start for the 49ers because regular starter Brock Purdy could barely throw a ball this week after injuring his right shoulder in Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Kyle Shanahan said Purdy had an MRI of the shoulder on Monday that revealed no obvious damage. The plan at that point was for him to take it easy in Wednesday’s practice — Purdy didn’t attempt any passes that day — and to ease back into his practice routine as the week went on. But when Purdy tried to throw on Thursday, the shoulder continued to bother him and he left the field early in the session.
Shanahan said that until that point, the team thought Purdy would play in Green Bay.
“We thought he just needed some rest and we really weren’t concerned about him not being good this week,” Shanahan said when asked if there was long-term concern. “But when he started up Thursday, it surprised him — surprised us — how it felt, so we had to shut him down. So I really don’t know what to think of it. The MRI doesn’t look (bad), so it should be all right. But the way it responded this week — it’s really up in the air for next week. We will have to see on Monday.”
49ers quarterbacks at the start of practice. Missing: Brock Purdy … pic.twitter.com/2p0k9NIIhU
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) November 22, 2024
Sunday’s game will be the first Purdy has missed due to injury since taking over as starter two-thirds of the way into the 2022 season. He nearly was scratched from his second career start that year after he broke a rib while diving for a first down in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Purdy has said he didn’t feel that injury initially. But as he cooled down over halftime, the pain and stiffness started to take over. He had a similar reaction to the shoulder injury. Shanahan said the quarterback didn’t know when it occurred but that the shoulder became more tight as the game went on.
“That’s why he was warming up a lot more than usual,” he said. “He said he had a hard time keeping it loose. Then after the game is when it really started to hurt, and Monday morning is why we did an MRI for it.”
Kyle Shanahan said they were surprised when Purdy had trouble throwing the ball on Thursday. “We were fully prepared for Brock to go.”
He said Purdy’s shoulder started tightening up toward the end of the game and then grew more painful after the game.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) November 22, 2024
Allen, meanwhile, served as Joe Burrow’s backup with the Cincinnati Bengals for three seasons before joining the 49ers last year. He entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016 before moving on to the Los Angeles Rams (2017-18) and Denver Broncos (2019). In Cincinnati the next year, he was a popular presence in the locker room and a good, veteran sounding board for Burrow, a rookie in 2020.
The 49ers looked at Allen, 32, in a similar way — someone who would be a good resource for the inexperienced Purdy.
Last year, Allen was the third quarterback behind Purdy and Sam Darnold. This year he competed with Joshua Dobbs in the spring and summer to be Purdy’s primary backup.
Dobbs seemed like the more aggressive thrower and was a decidedly more dangerous runner than Allen. He also had gaudier preseason statistics. He was 34 of 51 for 351 yards with one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown and an interception while Allen was 19 of 30 for 194 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
The 49ers, however, preferred Allen’s command of the offense and have tapped him as their No. 2 in every game so far. Allen has played under Rams coach Sean McVay, former Broncos coordinator Rich Scangerello and Bengals coach Zac Taylor, all of whom run a variation of Shanahan’s system.
“I think Brandon’s a really good thrower, runs our offense well,” Shanahan said. “He’s done a really good job since he’s been here. Been here two years now and guys believe in him.”
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The 49ers also like that Allen’s playing style is similar to Purdy’s and that the offense doesn’t change dramatically with Allen running it.
“I know Brandon. I was with him in L.A.,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur noted on Friday. “He’s played, he’s been in the league now a long time. But I wouldn’t expect their offense to change a whole bunch.”
Without Purdy, the 49ers may need to lean more heavily on a running game that ranks seventh in rushing yards per game but lacked its usual pop — especially on outside runs — in the last two contests. That coincided with Christian McCaffrey’s return to the lineup after a two-month absence due to Achilles tendonitis.
McCaffrey also didn’t practice much in the offseason or in training camp and has acknowledged that he’s still getting back in the groove. His longest run in Week 10 was 13 yards. Against the Seahawks on Sunday, he had a long of 11 yards.
The rushing attack ought to be helped by George Kittle’s return. The team’s tight end — who’s essential on the stretch zone runs — missed Sunday’s game due to a hamstring strain but has said he’ll play in Green Bay and is not on the injury report.
More tenuous is left tackle Trent Williams, who needed a pain-numbing injection to play against Seattle and who will be a game-time decision Sunday as well.
Defensively, the 49ers will be without sack leader Nick Bosa, who exacerbated a hip/oblique injury against the Seahawks. Cornerback Charvarius Ward is not quite ready to play after missing the last three weeks to mourn the loss of his child while defensive tackle Kevin Givens (groin) and receiver Jacob Cowing (concussion) also will miss the game.
At 5-5, the 49ers trail the 7-3 Packers — and three other teams — for the NFC’s final wild-card spot. They are one game behind the Arizona Cardinals (6-4) in the NFC West. They also have lost to each of their division opponents, putting them in a bad spot for division tiebreakers.
“I mean, I think we’ve had a real good week of practice,” said Shanahan when asked about the daunting task of winning in Green Bay without Bosa and Purdy.
“I know it’s disappointing,” he said. “We knew there was a chance that Nick (wouldn’t play). I think the guys were a little surprised with Brock yesterday, but we’re going to have 48 guys in uniform. I know the guys believe in themselves. I believe in them. We’re missing two good players, definitely. But we have a lot of good players. … We’re going to fight our tails off and I expect it to be a real good game.”
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(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
