Brock Purdy will miss the matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams on October 2. The 49ers star was experiencing a recurrence of toe soreness following his return to the field against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 28.
It was a disastrous return for Purdy, who had two interceptions and a fumble. Whether the 49ers made a mistake in playing him against Jacksonville is up for debate, but FS1 host Colin Cowherd is concerned over what he’s seen from his last few games and didn’t hold back on his criticism.
“Now, we all know how I felt about Brock Purdy,” Cowherd said on the September 30 edition of “The Herd.” “I think he did an amazing job, but I’ve said this for years: don’t fall in love with stories. There’s a difference between stories and reality. We all got caught up in Brock Purdy being the last guy drafted, but there’s a reason he went last. He was smaller than you’d like and reckless.
“In his four years at Iowa State, he led the FBS in interceptions—out of 139 teams, he led college football in picks. Compare that to Bo Nix at Oregon in his final year: 45 touchdowns and only three interceptions, despite having five offensive coordinators over four or five years.
“Brock Purdy was reckless in college, and that’s why he fell to the last round. Since Week 7 last season, he has fewer passing touchdowns than Russell Wilson, a lower passer rating than Geno Smith, and the second-most interceptions in football.”
Should the 49ers have held onto Sam Darnold?
Sam Darnold served as Brock Purdy’s backup for the 49ers two seasons ago. Looking back, Cowherd suggests the team might have been better off keeping Darnold instead of giving Purdy a five-year, $265 million contract extension in May 2025, which included $181 million guaranteed and an average annual value of $53 million.
“They had a choice here. It could have been Sam Darnold—he was in the building a couple of years ago. Sam Darnold has lost only three of his last 14 starts. Brock Purdy, since Week 7 last year, is 4-7.
“I’m not anti-Brock Purdy, but I emphasize this all the time: we all like stories. Don’t fall in love with them. There’s a reason guys fall to the last pick in the seventh round—size, mechanics, recklessness.”
Brock Purdy Had Hope to Start for the 49ers
After the disappointing performance against the Jaguars on September 30, Purdy expressed hope that he could still play despite the toe soreness that started after the Niners’ loss to the Jaguars. He also noted, however, that the quick turnaround would make it a tough challenge.
“With a quick turnaround with a Thursday night game and everything, it’s just tougher,“ Purdy said (h/t Nick Wagoner of ESPN). “You don’t have as many days to get right and heal up and feel better.”
With Purdy sidelined, Mac Jones will make his third start in the first five games. He guided San Francisco to victories in Weeks 2 and 3 against the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals, respectively, despite dealing with a sprained knee after the win in Arizona. Jones is now fully healthy and did not appear on this week’s injury report.
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