San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
Purdy is seeking second medical opinions about whether he needs surgery, which the 49ers are recommending, the source told Schefter.
The injury is expected to sideline Purdy for six months regardless of his decision on surgery, the source told Schefter.
Purdy’s injury is the latest serious injury suffered by a 49ers starting quarterback this season. San Francisco lost starter Trey Lance to a broken right ankle in Week 2 and veteran backup Jimmy Garoppolo to a broken left foot in Week 13. Garoppolo will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
The Niners lost Purdy on their sixth offensive snap in Sunday’s 31-7 NFC Championship Game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. After he was originally considered questionable to return, he had no choice but to reenter in the third quarter when his replacement — fourth-string signal-caller Josh Johnson — was ruled out with a concussion.
Purdy sustained the injury with 7:03 left in the opening quarter. Facing second-and-6 at the 50, Purdy dropped back to throw, looking for wideout Brandon Aiyuk down the left side. With a clean pocket and time to throw, the Niners believed it was about to be a big play. Eagles pass-rusher Haason Reddick ruined those plans, racing past Niners tight end Tyler Kroft and hitting Purdy as he attempted to throw, jarring the ball loose.
Upon returning, Purdy threw a short screen pass to running back Christian McCaffrey for a gain of 3. He attempted only one more pass, a short dump-off to Kittle for a gain of 1. Purdy finished 4-of-4 for 23 yards with an average of 1.5 air yards per attempt. That’s the lowest average by a starting quarterback in a playoff game since the stat was first tracked in 2006 and the second lowest by a starting quarterback this season.
ESPN’s Nick Wagoner contributed to this report.
