The San Francisco 49ers have officially confirmed that their quarterback, Brock Purdy, has successfully passed the concussion protocol. This announcement was made on a Saturday afternoon.
Niners’ head coach, Kyle Shanahan, expressed his confidence on Friday that Purdy would clear the final stage of the protocol, and he went on to assert that Purdy would undoubtedly start in the upcoming game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Shanahan stated, “To me, that wasn’t a difficult decision considering how he has performed throughout this week. And now, that’s why he’s going to have an opportunity.”
The incident leading to Purdy’s concussion occurred during the fourth quarter of Monday night’s game when he encountered helmet-to-helmet contact from Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks while executing a quarterback sneak. Surprisingly, Purdy managed to finish the game seemingly without any apparent issues despite having two passes intercepted in the final moments, which ultimately contributed to Minnesota’s victory.
However, Purdy began experiencing concussion-related symptoms during the Niners’ flight back home from Minnesota later that Monday evening, leading to his entry into the concussion protocol.
Due to the Monday game, the 49ers had a low-intensity walk-through session on Wednesday, with Purdy participating in some light practice but not being cleared for contact with the defense. On Thursday, Purdy successfully passed more stages of the concussion protocol and was able to engage in practice on a limited basis. By Friday, he was a full participant in practice.
The last hurdle for Purdy’s return was to obtain clearance for full contact from the 49ers’ team physician and to undergo examination by an independent neurological consultant, who needed to confirm that Purdy’s concussion had resolved, allowing him to play. This final clearance was granted on Saturday, paving the way for Purdy’s return to the field.
Throughout the initial seven weeks of the season, Purdy had started every game for the 49ers following his return from a March surgery to address a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Notably, he holds the third-highest Quarterback Rating (QBR) in the NFL at 75.7 and has thrown 11 touchdowns with just three interceptions leading into Week 8.