San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is finally starting again.
On Thursday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told NBC Sports Bay Area that Purdy will return to the starting lineup Sunday at the Arizona Cardinals. Purdy injured his toe in Week 1 and returned to the lineup in Week 4, apparently aggravating the injury, forcing him to spend the next six weeks recovering.
Mac Jones had started eight games in Purdy’s place, including each of the last six games. The 49ers have gone 5-3 in Jones’ starts, with Jones playing the best ball of his career at the time.
But Shanahan indicated this week that the decision was less about how Jones was playing and more about Purdy’s physical condition.
“No. It’s not a hard decision,” Shanahan said. “It’s just more about Brock’s health. It’s been awesome how Mac has played. He’s been great. But we’ve got a lot of confidence in Brock and we know Brock will play at a high level as long as he’s healthy.”
At 6-4, the 49ers remain in the playoff race. They are currently one spot out of the postseason mix right now, sitting in third place in the NFC West behind the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, who meet on Sunday in LA.
In Purdy’s two starts this season, he has completed 65.8% of his passes for 586 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed seven times for 30 yards.