Brock Purdy and his troublesome toe are returning to the 49ers' bench. Mac Jones will start at quarterback as Purdy is sidelined for the third time in four games Thursday night when the 49ers (3-1) visit the Los Angeles Rams (3-1). Purdy will have company on the SoFi Stadium sideline: wide receivers Ricky Pearsall (knee), Jauan Jennings (ribs, ankle) and Jordan Watkins (calf) also got ruled out Wednesday.
There's simply not enough luck in the football world to overcome the kind of slop the Niners put on the field Sunday against the Jaguars. Four turnovers, a punt return allowed for a touchdown, and an offense that couldn't move the ball on the ground all combined into a 26-21 Jacksonville win at Levi's Stadium. The only good news for the 49ers? They won't have time to dwell on all their errors.
Several offensive players missed significant time. The 27-year-old tore his ACL and MCL against the Chiefs in a Week 7 loss. Brandon Aiyuk is on the PUP list to start the 2025 season. General manager John Lynch gave an update on Aiyuk's recovery timeline. While Brandon Aiyuk has not suffered a setback, Lynch said the WR is "not close" to returning from a knee injury.
The San Francisco 49ers moved to 2-0 after defeating the New Orleans Saints 26-21 on the road. New Orleans had a chance at taking the lead late, regaining possession with 2:40 left in the fourth quarter. However, while facing a fourth-and-1 on their own 42-yard-line, Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler was sacked, clinching the 49ers victory. Starting in place of Brock Purdy, San Francisco quarterback Mac Jones had 279 passing yards with three touchdowns.
After the team plummeted to last place in the NFC West last season amid injuries, tragedy and distractions, coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have put Humpty Dumpty back together again to the point where sports books have actually made the 49ers division favorites. That makes the 49ers at least a possibility to be at home on Feb. 8, when Levi's Stadium plays host to Super Bowl LX.