The San Francisco 49ers were able to win again without the services of starting quarterback Brock Purdy on Sunday night against the Atlanta Falcons, moving to 5-2 on the year with the victory. Unfortunately, they may very well need to overcome Purdy’s potential absence again in Week 8 when they take on the Houston Texans.
The bright side of Purdy’s absence is that backup quarterback Mac Jones has been able to show what he is plenty capable of leading the team to wins.
Despite Jones’ success, most believe that Purdy will have to be the man under center in San Francisco if the 49ers are truly going to make some noise in the NFC.
49ers fans may need to wait a little longer for Purdy to return to the field, as a new update emerged on Monday from head coach Kyle Shanahan suggesting that he may again by unlikely to suit up in Week 8.
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 28: Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers in action during the NFL 2025 game between Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on September 28, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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Speaking with reporters on Monday, Shanahan described Purdy as “likely a reach” to suit up on Sunday against the Houston Texans.
49ers updates:QB Brock Purdy likely a reach to return this week at Houston, “will continue like he did last week,” said Shanahan, noting Houston turf not a factorDE Bryce Huff (hamstring) and C Jake Brendel (hamstring) out couple weeksCB Renardo Green does not have turf toe— Cam Inman (@CamInman) October 20, 2025
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Shanahan’s update on Purdy could certainly loom large ahead of a matchup with the Texans that has proven very difficult for opposing quarterbacks thus far this season.
Thus far this season, the Texans have allowed the third-fewest yards per game in the NFL. Additionally, Houston’s defense has allowed just 12.2 points per game to opponents, the fewest points allowed in the league.
If Purdy also misses Week 8, he would fortunately have an additional week thanks to the 49ers Week 9 bye to get healthy before their next game in Week 10 against the New York Giants. So on the bright side, it seems as if Purdy shouldn’t miss too many more games before eventually reclaiming his starting quarterback job.
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