Brock Purdy Eager For High-stakes 49ers Games After Missing Time With Toe Injury

Brock Purdy eager for high-stakes 49ers games after missing time with toe injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SANTA CLARA – It was a long journey back from injury for Brock Purdy, but now that he has returned to his starting job, the 49ers quarterback is eager to help position San Francisco for meaningful regular-season games down the stretch.

Purdy, who missed a total of eight games with a nagging toe injury before coming back to help San Francisco beat the Arizona Cardinals last weekend, is happy just to be back on the field. That it comes at a time when the playoff picture starts to take shape makes it that much sweeter for the fourth-year NFL quarterback.

“I’m extremely excited,” Purdy said after practice Friday as the 49ers prep for Monday’s game against the Carolina Panthers. “Feel great. Body feels great. So to be able to go back-to-back games and obviously try to win back-to-back games will be huge for us.

“But more than anything, it’s a crucial time of the year. Obviously, everybody knows November and December football is huge, especially going into the playoffs and everything. So for us, this (is) a huge one.”

Purdy looked mostly sharp against the Cardinals last week despite missing so much time. The veteran quarterback completed 73 percent of his throws for 277 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked once, threw two interceptions and finished with a 133.5 rating, his highest mark since putting up a 145.4 against the Chicago Bears on Dec. 8, 2024.

“It felt good just to get my feet wet again and sort of go through reads, compete, find a way to win, all that kind of stuff,” Purdy said. “It’s hard to emulate that at practice. Until you’re in a game situation, when you go out there and they score and we gotta respond, just felt good being in that.

“I could still play better and make some better decisions with the ball, and at the same time, be aggressive and have that aggressive mentality. So it’s a balance of that. And so that’s just where I’m at. As an offense, we have a lot of momentum right now from that last game.”

Keeping that momentum going certainly isn’t a given but the 49ers are starting to get some of their walking wounded back – including Purdy, who seems to be the key to it all – which is critical for the stretch run.

“Just feels good that we’re all able to practice together, play a game together, watch film together and grow in that,” Purdy said. “In that regard, it’s huge for the little details and stuff, especially in this offense in the NFL. It’s the end of the season. We need consistency right now going into the end of the year, trying to get in the playoffs and all that.”

As for the toe injury that put him on the shelf for so long, Purdy is resigned to the fact that it might have some lingering effects throughout the remainder of the season.

“It is what it is when it comes to having to deal with something health-wise,” Purdy said. “I feel like I can scramble. I can make plays on the run, step up in the pocket, rip the ball aggressively. So I feel like I can play my style of ball for sure.”

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