The San Francisco 49ers are turning their attention to Week 11 against the Arizona Cardinals after a tough loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Brock Purdy's status is unclear, but how he was used in practice last week may give us a clue.
Purdy saw reps with San Francisco's scout team last week, according to Niners beat writer Matt Maiocco, as Purdy split time with backup quarterback Adrian Martinez. Going against the scout team is a good sign for Purdy, although head coach Kyle Shanahan said he wants to see more from Purdy ahead of Week 11 before he would commit to him as the starter.
This is what Shanahan had to say on what he wants to see from Purdy before he gets another start: "We want three aggressive practices, and we want to make sure he feels good after all of them each day, too."
Shanahan has made it clear that it is Brock's team if he is healthy, but San Francisco clearly does not want a repeat of Week 4 when they rushed Purdy back from injury too soon against the Jacksonville Jaguars and he aggravated his toe injury.
Shanahan has also admitted Purdy's toe injury is unlikely to go away completely this season, which means that there is going to be an inevutable risk that he makes the injury worse if he plays in a game.
Brock Purdy appears closer to returning than before ahead of Week 11
With how well Mac Jones has played this season, it is not going to be an easy decision on what to do with Purdy. In terms of winning from week to week, there is an argument to be made that Jones still gives San Francisco the best chance to win on a weekly basis. Purdy may still be limited by the toe, and he is likely going to be rusty since he has not played since Week 4 and has not been able to practice the way he is accustomed to.
However, if Purdy practices this week and feels good, then it seems very likely that he will be the one to get the start on Sunday against the Cardinals. It would be a good game to get him back in on against a team the Niners have a better record than on a field where he has good memories from two seasons ago. Plus, it would be a homecoming of sorts since Purdy is from Arizona.
Obviously, his health will determine his availability over those factors, but the fact that he worked with the scout team last week shows he is very much trending in the right direction