The 49ers sit atop the NFC West at 4-1 with a perfect 3-0 record in divisional games. San Francisco would be the No. 2 seed in the NFC if the playoffs started today, thanks to a perfect 4-0 record in conference games.
Despite this success, the team is plagued by injury issues throughout the roster, especially at quarterback. Starter Brock Purdy suffered toe and shoulder injuries in a Week 1 win over the Seattle Seahawks and missed the next two games. Backup Mac Jones filled in nicely and led the team to wins over the Saints and Cardinals in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively.
Jones was injured in Week 4 – a game against his old team, the Jacksonville Jaguars – so Purdy made his second start of the year but did not look fully healthy. Jones took over the starting role again in Week 5 and led the 49ers to a thrilling overtime win over NFC West foe Los Angeles on ‘Thursday Night Football.’
So, who will be the starting quarterback for the 49ers in Week 6 on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Purdy or Jones? Here’s what we know about Purdy ahead of Sunday’s game in Tampa.
Brock Purdy injury update
Purdy did not practice today in the 49ers’ first session of the week, per multiple reports. He was one of three starters to miss practice with an injury, along with wide receivers Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall. Jones was limited in practice as well.
It’s not a good sign for Purdy’s status in Week 6 that he did not practice at all today, but it’s not a definitive answer. The 49ers will have practices on Thursday and Friday ahead of Sunday’s game and his status will be more important on those days.
It’s also important to note that the team has not placed him on injured reserve (IR). If the team thought he’d miss at least four weeks, they would’ve done that.
San Francisco has back-to-back NFC South matchups with the 4-1 Buccaneers in Week 6 and the 2-2 Atlanta Falcons in Week 7 at home on ‘Sunday Night Football.’
49ers QB depth chart
- Brock Purdy (injured)
- Mac Jones
- Adrian Martinez (practice squad)
Martinez was moved to the active roster in Week 5 in case Jones left the game with an injury. If Purdy isn’t good to go for Week 6, Martinez will likely suit up once again.