At the start of the season, most sites giving odds placed the Kansas City Chiefs as firm favorites to win the Super Bowl, with the San Francisco 49ers the 2nd most likely. Now there’s a significant chance the 2023 runners-up won’t even make the playoffs. It’s lonely at the bottom of NFC West, with only the Seahawks for company. But at 5-5, this next game against the Green Bay Packers is a must-win, though the absence of Brock Purdy certainly doesn’t help.

During the game against the Seattle Seahawks last week, Purdy took a hit to the shoulder. He still played on for the rest of the game, though the average pass length dropped to 5.7 per attempt. Since then he’s complained of shoulder soreness, and though he was initially projected to play the Packers, it wasn’t meant to be. Still, Kyle Shanahan has said Purdy will be available to play the Bills next week.

Purdy’s only a 3rd year NFLer, but he’s established himself firmly. Last year he was the league’s highest rated passer, and passed 9.6 yards per attempt on average. But maybe it was a flash of brilliance? He’s not been bad, by any means, but his stats are down across the board. He’s just not scoring enough touchdowns to put his team in a winning position. But today sees a chance for us to tell how the team does without him.

In his absence, the team will be relying on 2nd string quarterback Brandon Allen. Allen’s a veteran, in a manner of speaking. The 32-year-old’s been in the league since 2016, but he’s had just 9 starts in those 9 years. The Packers game will be his 10th, and his first since 2021. Do you think the 49ers regret trading Trey Lance off to the Cowboys yet? It remains to be seen how Allen performs, but given they bumped him up from 3rd to 2nd string and increased his pay, they must see some potential in him.

How do the 49ers odds look against the Packers with no Purdy?

The Green Bay Packers only play the San Francisco 49ers once every 3 years, but that rivalry’s been evenly matched. In the 73 games they’ve played, the Packers have actually got a slim edge, winning 38 times to the 49ers 34, with just the 1 tie. Honestly, even without Purdy out of the picture, the needle would be pointing towards the Packers having the edge. At 7-3, they’ve clearly had the better season. If they weren’t in NFC North, their stats would look even more impressive, though they’re dwarfed by the Lions and the Vikings right now.

The 49ers do have Christian McCaffrey back on the field, after a knee injury kept him out for most of the season. The 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year is still finding his way though, and the passer hasn’t scored any touchdowns yet. This game will be his 3rd game this season, maybe 3rd time’s the charm? He’ll be going up against the 7th best defense in the league right now. CMC will have his work cut out for him. Let’s see how things pan out, but for now, things are not looking up for the San Fran team.