The 49ers are expected to roll into Thursday night's huge matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. On Thursday morning, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that quarterback Brock Purdy is expected to start despite suffering a rib/oblique injury on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Purdy sounded confident on Tuesday that he'd be able to play despite the quick turnaround between games.
"I feel like this is part of the game," Purdy told reporters. "A lot of the guys have said, 'Welcome to the NFL. You get banged-up a little bit and you gotta be ready to roll in four days. You gotta learn another (playbook) install, you gotta memorize plays, you gotta get guys going, new routes. This is it. This is the best of the best. For me, I look at it as a challenge, like, I gotta prove to myself that I belong here."
The 22-year-old has another chance to prove himself on a big stage, after outdueling Tom Brady and the Bucs in his first career start last week with a 35-7 win. The Seattle crowd is always deafening when the Niners are in town, and Purdy can help San Francisco become the NFL's first team to clinch a division crown in 2022 with a victory.
Purdy injured himself while scrambling for a first down on the Niners' second drive of the game. He stayed in until Josh Johnson entered midway through the fourth quarter for mop-up duty.
Mr. Irrelevant finished 16-of-21 for 185 yards and two touchdowns while also responding well to adversity, as he got clocked on the first snap of the game after misreading the defense. Purdy made smart decisions, showed off his ability to extend a play, take chances downfield and deliver the ball in tight windows.
Purdy's impressive first start means the 36-year-old Johnson won't be pressed into a starter's role after being picked up off the Denver Broncos practice squad Dec. 6.
