Green Bay might be catching San Francisco at the perfect time
If you were to ask anyone who the most important San Francisco 49ers were to their team’s success over the last couple of seasons, there’s a good chance the response you’d get back is quarterback Brock Purdy and defensive end Nick Bosa. Unfortunately for the 49ers, who are headed to Lambeau Field with a disappointing 5-5 record following their home loss on Sunday to the Seattle Seahawks, both players are major injury question marks entering Week 12.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told the press on Monday that despite Purdy finishing out the game in Week 11, the quarterback is going to be considered “day-to-day” with shoulder “soreness.” On top of that, Bosa left action in the second half versus the Seahawks. Originally, the injury was thought to be a reaggregation of a hip injury he was battling through, but the team later ruled him out with an oblique injury. Bosa, himself, stated that the injury might have happened as he attempted to overcompensate for his hip issues.
Another injury to keep an eye on is tight end George Kittle’s situation. Kittle missed last week’s action with a hamstring injury but is expected to practice on Wednesday. Whether or not he will play is up in the air, but he was close to a game-time decision last week so the odds are in his favor.
If Purdy misses time, San Francisco’s backup quarterbacks are Brandon Allen and Joshua Dobbs. The 32-year-old Allen has a career passer rating of 78.0 and a record of 2-7, but he’s only seen playing time for the Cincinnati Bengals, not the 49ers. Dobbs, a career journeyman, has started for four franchises — none being San Francisco — and has a record of 3-11 to go along with a passer rating of 77.3.
The Packers’ battle with the 49ers will have significant playoff ramifications, as the NFC West remains open and the gulf between the wildcard teams who are in and the teams on the outside looking in continues to widen. If favorites win next week in the NFC, the difference between the Packers and Washington Commanders, the two lowest wildcard seeds in the league should the regular season end today, and the eighth-seed NFC team, the first team out of the playoffs, will already be a difference of three wins.