San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy exited Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles early in the first quarter with an elbow injury.
The injury came after a hit by Eagles Pro Bowl edge rusher Haason Reddick.
While Purdy ended up returning late in the second half, it was only because the 49ers found themselves in an emergency situation at quarterback after backup Josh Johnson suffered a concussion. The quarterback could not throw the ball more than five or 10 yards.
Following San Francisco’s disastrous 31-7 loss to Philadelphia, it’s being reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he’s believed to have a UCL injury to his throwing elbow.
At this point, the hope is that surgery is not needed.
Whenever you hear UCL injury and the sports world, attention immediately turns to Tommy John Surgery.
Thankfully for the former seventh-round pick and his team, it’s not the same situation as baseball. Pitchers tend to miss a calendar year after undergoing Tommy John Surgery for a torn UCL.
In this case, Purdy’s absence likely wouldn’t extend past six weeks.
As a rookie this past regular season, Purdy replaced an injured Jimmy Garoppolo under center back in December.
He led San Francisco to seven consecutive wins before Sunday’s ugly loss to Philadelphia.
As the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdy was amon the biggest stories heading into NFL Championship Sunday.
Even after his Eagles dismantled San Francisco in the NFC Championship Game, Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni had nothing but great things to say about the young quarterback and his toughness.
“I have a lot of respect for Brock that he came back in and fought, a ton of respect for him because I know obviously he was hurting bad. That’s what my guys — all my former teammates over at Iowa State said about the guy. I know that kid is a winner, and he obviously showed great toughness today to come back in when his team was in a bind.”
Nick Sirianni on Brock Purdy to reporters following Sunday’s game
Despite the ugly ending to San Francisco’s season, Purdy’s performance set the stage for him likely being QB1 to start the 2023 campaign. This injury likely has no impact on that.
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