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Over the weekend, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that the San Francisco 49ers expected quarterback Brock Purdy and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall to return in Week 8 against the Houston Texans. However, on Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan tempered those expectations, confirming that it may be premature to consider Purdy ready to play this weekend.
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Russini also revised her initial report and provided more context on her Scoop City podcast, explaining the latest on both players’ recovery timelines.
“Here’s what I can tell you about Brock Purdy and Ricky Pearsall,” Russini said. “The San Francisco 49ers had Week 8 circled as this is going to be it. This is when these two are going to be able to come back.”
Purdy reportedly told the Sunday Night Football broadcast crew that his playing status remains uncertain and that he is day-to-day heading into the week.
“He said he is truly day-to-day,” NBC sideline reporter Melissa Stark said during the broadcast. “There is no timeline for his return. He called this injury ‘so annoying,’ saying he’s never dealt with something that lingers this long.”
Russini added, “We’ll see what happens if he practices on Wednesday, but as of late [Sunday] night, from a couple of conversations I was having, it’s still really up in the air.”
According to Russini, Purdy went through a pregame workout on the field before the 49ers’ Week 7 win over the Atlanta Falcons, but the session did not leave him feeling confident about his recovery progress.
“I was told that he didn’t really feel that great,” Russini said. “So, we’ll see how this progresses over the next few days. And he shared, too, how frustrated he is. He doesn’t want to sit and watch this happen, especially after just getting paid.”
She added, “And it sounds like it’s one of those nagging pains, too, where it’s just like you’re trying, you feel like you can go a little bit more, and then when you push it—that’s when the pain comes back. We’ll see how they figure that out.”
Russini also noted that Ricky Pearsall is in a similar situation. While the 49ers initially hoped for a Week 8 return for the second-year receiver, that timeline is now uncertain. Much will depend on how both players respond to practice reps this week—if they practice—and whether they can handle the workload and show improvement.
For now, it sounds likely that quarterback Mac Jones will make yet another start for the 49ers.
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The San Francisco 49ers are preparing for their Week 7 contest against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Both teams have released their official injury reports, which are provided below.
San Francisco 49ers
Out
DE Yetur Gross-Matos…
The San Francisco 49ers will be without quarterback Brock Purdy and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall when they host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium. With Purdy sidelined by a toe injury, Mac Jones will make his fifth start of the season.
The 49ers did get…
Quarterback Brock Purdy remains ruled out for the San Francisco 49ers’ Week 7 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, marking his fifth missed game this season due to a lingering toe injury. However, there’s optimism surrounding his recovery ahead of Week 8 against the Houston…