John Lynch addresses if 49ers have ruled Brock Purdy out for Giants game

Without directly saying so, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan hinted on Wednesday that Week 1 starting quarterback Brock Purdy could remain sidelined due to a lingering toe injury for Sunday's game between the 5-3 49ers and 2-6 New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.

Backup Mac Jones has gone 4-2 as the 49ers' temporary QB1, but 49ers general manager John Lynch wasn't prepared to name Jones the starter for the Giants game during a Thursday appearance on San Francisco Bay Area sports radio station KNBR.

What 49ers are "trusting" regarding Brock Purdy's eventual return

"We'll see," Lynch said about his club's uncertain quarterback situation, per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "Mac's done such a great job and continues to do so. Brock, as I mentioned, continues to progress. Kyle spoke of it yesterday. A lot of this, at this point, is going to be on trusting Brock and where he's at — and he continues to feel better. He continues to ramp up what he's doing out on the field, and that was the case yesterday, and we'll see by the end of this week, we'll all make a good decision on who that guy's going to be."

During Wednesday's media availability, Shanahan referenced how Purdy's toe previously felt "pretty good" after the signal-caller missed Weeks 2 and 3 of the season due to the initial injury. However, Purdy reinjured the toe in his return to action on Sept. 28 and hasn't played since. 

"I didn’t give him a deadline," Shanahan said about Purdy's availability for the Giants game. "It’s not as black and white as you guys want it to be." 

How Mac Jones has played in place of Brock Purdy

Pro Football Reference stats show that Jones ranks 15th in the NFL among qualified players with a 59.0 adjusted QBR, 21st with an 89.0 passer rating and third with an average of 266.2 passing yards per game. He completed 19-of-32 passes for 193 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in San Francisco's surprising 26-15 loss at the Houston Texans this past Sunday.

In total, Jones has tossed eight touchdown passes and five interceptions over six contests. 

Earlier this week, tight end George Kittle acknowledged that the 49ers need the "face of the franchise and the guy who's won a lot of games" back in the lineup as soon as possible. That's all well and good, but it sounds as if the Niners are prepared to be without Purdy for a seventh game this season.