San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are optimistic about the status of quarterback Brock Purdy for their Week 13 clash with the Buffalo Bills, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Schefter reported "there does not seem to be a high level of concern" internally.

Purdy is dealing with shoulder soreness that ruled him out for Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers. Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Friday there isn't any "long-term concern" for now, though.

"We got the MRI on Monday, we really just thought he needed some rest," he said. "We really weren't concerned about him not being good this week, but when he started up Thursday, it surprised him, it surprised us how (his shoulder injury) felt. So, we had to shut him down."

Still, Shanahan said that "it really is up in the air for next week."

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Purdy's injury could open the door for the Niners to seriously pursue former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones:

San Francisco can't afford to leave anything to chance when it comes to the quarterback position. The team is 5-5 and in a three-way tie for second-place in the NFC West. Injuries have wreaked havoc on the Niners all year and they could be in jeopardy of missing the playoffs altogether.

Brandon Allen is getting the nod Sunday in place of Purdy with Joshua Dobbs backing him up. Neither would be a convincing choice if Purdy's injury continues to linger in Week 13 and beyond.

Allen's last start was back in 2021 and he has thrown for 1,611 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions in 16 career appearances. Aside from a three-week spell in 2023 with the Minnesota Vikings, Dobbs has been just as shaky in a high-usage role. He wound up with 2,464 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions with the Vikings and Arizona Cardinals last year.

Jones has obvious flaws of his own. After it looked like he turned a corner in 2022, he had 2,979 yards and 10 touchdowns to 13 picks while posting a 76.6 QB rating and a 36.3 QBR over the next two seasons.

With a dearth of better options on the board, signing Jones might nonetheless be San Francisco's best contingency plan if Purdy's shoulder doesn't improve by Monday.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brandon Allen will start for injured starter Brock Purdy on Sunday at the Green Bay Packers, per head coach Kyle Shanahan to reporters.

Purdy is dealing with soreness in his right (throwing) shoulder stemming from his team's recent 20-17 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks, per Shanahan on Monday (h/t ESPN's Nick Wagoner).

"I don't want to say there's long-term concern," Shanahan told reporters, per Wagoner. "We thought he just needed some rest and we really weren't concerned about [him] not being good this week. But when he started up Thursday, it just surprised him, surprised us with how it felt. So, we had to shut him down. I really don't know what to think of it. ... But the way it responded this week, it's really up in the air next week. We'll have to see on Monday."

Purdy was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but he was wasn't on the field in uniform during the early open portion of practice Friday.

Joshua Dobbs, who most recently excelled with the Minnesota Vikings last year after briefly taking over for an injured Kirk Cousins, will serve as Allen's backup.

The 32-year-old Allen has played in 16 games (nine starts) over five seasons (2019-2022, 2024) for the Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals and 49ers. He's completed 56.7 percent of his passes for 1,611 yards (6.1 yards per attempt), 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Allen enters a tough road environment against a 7-3 Packers team that looks bound for the playoffs. He also may be without superstar left tackle Trent Williams, who suffered an ankle injury in Week 10 and has missed practice all week.

Worse yet, the 49ers will be more shorthanded on the defensive end with star edge-rusher Nick Bosa out with an oblique/hip issue, per Shanahan.

So San Francisco will go into this game as a significant underdog. It's already been an inconsistent season for the 5-5 49ers, who have notably been mediocre on the defensive end (16th in points per game allowed).

The offense is still a respectable eighth, and that's without running back Christian McCaffrey as he dealt with Achilles tendinitis that kept him out for the first eight contests. But the defending NFC champions certainly expected more after entering the year with Super Bowl aspirations.

That's still feasible, especially with no team running away with the NFC West. The 6-4 Arizona Cardinals currently lead the way, so the 49ers can catch them, grab a home game in the wild card round and make a run at it.

But San Francisco has Green Bay and then the 9-2 Buffalo Bills on the road back-to-back. If Purdy is forced to sit another game, San Francisco could find itself at 5-7 and needing to run the table to make the playoffs.

For now, the 49ers hope Allen could do well enough in Purdy's absence to grab a win in Green Bay. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET in Lambeau Field.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle confirmed he'll play Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

The five-time Pro Bowler told reporters he "can't pass up playing the Packers."

Kittle was absent in San Francisco's 20-17 Week 11 loss to the Seattle Seahawks because of a hamstring injury.

A hamstring issue also sidelined him in Week 3, when the Niners fell 27-24 to the Los Angeles Rams.

Kittle leads the team in receptions (43) and touchdown grabs (seven) and he's second behind Jauan Jennings in receiving yards (560). His 70 yards per game are on pace to be his highest since 2020.

San Francisco's passing game has been operating short-handed all season. First-round draft Ricky Pearsall missed the start of the season. Brandon Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL in October. Kittle had his hamstring trouble. And Deebo Samuel was briefly hospitalized for pneumonia.

With Kittle coming back, the unit is at least back to what's full strength now as Aiyuk is unavailable for the remainder of the year.

Quarterback Brock Purdy is expected to play against Green Bay as well while he works through some shoulder soreness in his throwing arm.

That's good news for the 49ers as they look to earn a big victory over a fellow rival in the NFC playoff race.

San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams says he has spoken with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James about prolonging his career as a professional athlete.

"When you see and talk to a guy like that who is going and doing it at the highest level we've ever seen and doesn't show any signs of slowing down," Williams said, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "I know that it can be done."

Williams added: "My mind frame right now is I want to finish this career as strong as I opened it up."

Williams, who turned 36 in July, has previously said that he wants to play until age 40. James is on track to do just that as he celebrates his 40th birthday in December amid his 22nd season in the NBA.

The two athletes, who had met before, reunited shortly after the 49ers lost 25-22 to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, Wagoner reported.

Williams and James then "discussed how to get over losing a championship and what it takes to sustain greatness as you age," Wagoner wrote.

According to Wagoner, Williams has since taken advice from James on "diet, training and recovery regimens."

Both Williams and James have been successful at remaining top athletes in their respective sports so far in the 2024-25 NBA season and 2024 NFL campaign.

James is averaging 23.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 9.1 assists through 14 games for the Lakers. His 41.6 percent three-point shooting would mark a career-high accuracy rate if sustained for a full season.

Williams has meanwhile remained one of the most effective tackles in the league. According to the pass block win rate metric calculated by ESPN Analytics, which tracks how often linemen can hold a block for at least 2.5 seconds, Williams trails only the Cincinnati Bengals' Orlando Brown Jr. for the NFL lead with a 95 percent success rate through Week 11.

After reworking his contract with the 49ers ahead of the 2024 season, Williams is signed on through 2026 with a potential out after the 2025 campaign, per Spotrac. He will need to add at least two more seasons to that deal in order to stick around in San Francisco through age 40.

After falling to 5-5 with a disappointing 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers received even more bad news.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan announced on Monday that quarterback Brock Purdy is dealing with right shoulder soreness and is considered day-to-day.

Purdy completed 21 of his 28 passes for 159 yards, a touchdown and an interception while adding five carries for 40 yards and another score in Sunday's loss. The Seahawks managed to steal the victory thanks to quarterback Geno Smith's 13-yard scramble for a game-winning touchdown with 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

The 49ers had lost five games in the entirety of the 2023 season, so reaching that mark at this point in the year is concerning for the reigning NFC champions.

"Obviously [in] years past, it's like we put that behind us and play the next play," Purdy said after the game. "Just because we had success the last couple years doesn't mean just because something bad happens to us, we're just magically going to make up for it. We've got to have the chip on our shoulder to go take it every single play, down and game. We've just got to get back to that mindset."

It doesn't sound like Purdy is in danger of missing time, but the 49ers are likely to take it easy on him during practice as they gear up to face the 7-3 Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey wasn't satisfied with his performance during a 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

"I can be a lot better," McCaffrey told reporters after the game. "Feel like I can be a lot better. To miss time with an injury is always tough, it's not an excuse, but I know I can be a lot better. I feel it. It's coming."

The reigning Offensive Player of the Year couldn't find the end zone against the Seahawks, rushing for 79 yards and averaging 4.2 yards per carry.

He also caught four of five targets for 27 yards.

McCaffrey missed San Francisco's first eight games of the season due to bilateral Achilles tendinitis. The 49ers' offense couldn't find any consistency without him, owning a 4-4 record before he made his debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10.

While San Francisco was able to defeat Tampa Bay and McCaffrey made his presence felt as a receiver, he couldn't do the same on the ground. He ran for just 39 yards on 13 attempts despite racking up six catches for 68 yards as an option in the pass game.

It may be too early to hit the panic button for McCaffrey given his Achilles issue, but it's still been a relatively disappointing start compared to his stellar 2023 campaign. He racked up 2,023 all-purpose yards and 21 total touchdowns last season, operating as the offensive engine of a 49ers squad that made a Super Bowl LVIII appearance.

McCaffrey should be able to eventually get back on track, but San Francisco is hoping that it can happen sooner rather than later. The 49ers are currently in the midst of a close playoff race in the NFC West at 5-5.

The Arizona Cardinals own the top spot in the division with a 6-4 record while the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams also sit at 5-5.

McCaffrey will attempt to look like his former self in Week 12, as the 49ers travel to face a Green Bay Packers team allowing 113 yards per game on the ground.

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa left Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks with what has now been identified as an oblique injury, according to Pro Football Talks Michael David Smith.

"I think it was a different one," head coach Kyle Shanahan said when asked if Bosa aggravated a pre-existing injury. "The other one. Not hip, oblique."

Prior to the 49ers' 20-17 loss on Sunday, Bosa was listed as questionable with a hip injury. The 27-year-old contributed four tackles and 1.5 sacks before limping off the field in the third quarter.

Bosa has yet to miss a game this season, posting impressive numbers with 32 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, and one interception.

However, his first absence may be on the horizon, as ESPN's Nick Wagoner reported that Bosa is concerned he may have to "miss some time" due to the injury.

The 49ers fell to 5-5, and as of now, there is no official word on whether Bosa will be available for next week's game against the Green Bay Packers.

Deommodore Lenoir is sticking with the San Francisco 49ers for the long haul.

The cornerback inked a five-year, $92 million contract extension with the Niners on Tuesday, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Lenoir was in the final season of his rookie deal and was set to become a free agent this offseason before the deal.

Lenoir, a former fifth-round draft pick in 2021, has exceeded expectations through the first few seasons of his career. Last year, he had 84 tackles, three interceptions and 10 passes defended, all career highs.

So far this season, Lenoir has racked up 53 tackles, two interceptions and six passes defended. He's tied with Fred Warner for the most passes defended and interceptions and has the second-most tackles on the Niners.

Lenoir proved his ability to play in multiple areas on the field last season as San Francisco used him both in the slot and as an outside cornerback. Most of his snaps came on the outside, but it's good for the Niners to have some versatility in case he needs to line up somewhere else.

Now having signed one of their top defenders to a long-term deal, the 49ers are hoping to bounce back from a rough start to the season to stay in the playoff hunt. San Francisco started the year 3-4 but has won back-to-back games to get over .500.

The Niners got a major boost last week as star running back Christian McCaffrey made his debut. While McCaffrey had just 39 rushing yards in the win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it's likely only a matter of time before he gets things going.

San Francisco will look to make it three wins in a row this week when it faces the Seattle Seahawks.

Multiple San Francisco 49ers players couldn't bring themselves to watch kicker Jake Moody attempt a game-winning field goal on Sunday.

Tight end George Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner and wide receiver Jauan Jennings were among the members of the team that didn't view Moody connect on a 44-yard field goal that gave the 49ers a 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (via Matt Barrows of The Athletic).

Moody missed three of his five field goal attempts during the contest before nailing the last-second kick.

His struggles also had an impact on his teammates in other ways, as wide receiver Deebo Samuel and long-snapper Taybor Pepper had a brief confrontation following the kicker's third missed field goal in the contest.

"Normally I don't even get like that, but just frustrated in the heat of battle, a close game and I kind of got out of character a little bit," Samuel said after the game, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "But I'll talk to Moody and we'll get past it."

Still, Moody came through when it mattered most and helped San Francisco improve to 5-4.

"I felt really confident, really good going that direction," Moody explained, via the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "It was the same exact spot as the previous one. I saw what happened with the previous one and was able to make an adjustment."

Despite the 49ers' special teams issues, their offense looked encouraging as star running back Christian McCaffrey made his season debut after missing eight games with Achilles tendinitis.

McCarrey recorded just 39 yards on 13 carries, but he was also able to haul in six receptions for 68 yards.

Brock Purdy looked comfortable in the pocket, finishing 25-of-36 for 353 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

After a nerve-racking finish on Sunday, the 49ers now find themselves firmly back in the NFC playoff race.