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The injuries, or should we say, multiple injuries, have been a part of the San Francisco 49ers‘ story this season, especially in their quarterback room. Brock Purdy has been away for what feels like forever due to turf toe. His backup, Mac Jones, has been efficient, but it’s the injury bug that just won’t stop biting.

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In Week 9 against the New York Giants, Jones was spotted operating the offense with a bloody nose. The quarterback, who lined up under the center for the fifth consecutive week in Purdy’s absence, was reportedly spotted bleeding at the two-minute warning, as the 49ers faced a fourth-and-5 situation from the NYG 36.

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The play unfolded late in the second quarter with just under three minutes left on the clock. Jones was scanning the field, looking for an open target, when the Giants’ veteran defensive end Rakeem Nunez-Roches brought him down for a sack. In the chaos, another Giants defender accidentally hit Jones in the face, leaving his nose bleeding.

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But the real highlight? Jones didn’t stop. He kept playing, blood and all. The 49ers were leading 14-7 at the time of Jones’ injury. While the exact severity of the injury isn’t clear yet, the fact that the 27-year-old is still out there suggests it’s nothing too serious. Safe to say, he should be able to finish the game.

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Heading into Week 9, Jones has a 4-2 record with the 49ers this season. In the process, he has tallied 1,597 yards with a completion rate of 65.9% and has racked up eight touchdowns and five interceptions.

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Meanwhile, as Purdy deals with his injury, Mac Jones has his own list of issues to manage. His bleeding nose isn’t expected to affect him in Week 9, but he has battled a sprained PCL in his left knee and an oblique problem. And to top it off, he picked up a bruised knee in Sunday’s 26-15 loss to the Houston Texans. As for Purdy? His return timeline is still unclear.

Kyle Shanahan explained Brock Purdy’s absence in Week 9

Sunday’s Week 9 game against the Giants marks another game that the 49ers are starting with their starting quarterback, Brock Purdy. Purdy has been dealing with turf toe all season and has missed most of the games so far this year.

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He suffered the turf toe injury in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks, consequently missing the next couple of games. He returned in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, re-aggravated his toe injury, played all of the snaps, and has never returned to the field since then.

This is exactly why the head coach, Kyle Shanahan, explained that Purdy could be available for the Giants game, but not as the QB1. The reasoning is simple: the team rushed him in Week 4, and Purdy is yet to take a snap after their Week 4 loss to the Jaguars.

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“He didn’t get all the starter reps this week. As soon as he had a chance to get through practice and stuff the first time, we let him get all those starter reps and it was great. Then there was a chance he could re-hurt it in the game and he did and he’s been out for the last month,” Shanahan said. “He got more reps this week, but we weren’t going to commit to all of that like we did last time. So I think it’s easing it back more than last time.”

That said, Mac Jones has been running the offense in Purdy’s absence. With him under the center in Week 9, the 49ers are 5-3 and expected to improve their track record.

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Keshav Pareek

1,928 Articles

Keshav Pareek is a Senior NFL Features Writer at EssentiallySports, where he has covered two action-packed football seasons. He also contributes to the ES Behind the Scenes series, spotlighting the lives of top NFL stars off the field. Keshav is known for weaving humor into serious sports writing and connecting with readers by tapping into the emotional heart of the game.

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