San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Birdie He suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
Purdy is seeking second medical opinions on whether he needs surgery, which 49 recommends, the source told Schefter.
Regardless of his decision on surgery, the injury is expected to sideline Birdie for six months, the source told Schefter.
The Niners lost Purdy on their sixth offensive snap in Sunday’s 31-7 NFC Championship Game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. After his initial return was considered questionable, he had no choice but to step back in as a third quarterback — the fourth-string signal caller. Josh Johnson — ruled out with a concussion.
Purdy suffered the injury with 7:03 left in the opening quarter. Facing second and 6 from 50, Birdie looked for a wideout and threw back. Brandon Iuk Left side down. With a clean pocket and time to throw, the Niners hoped it would be a big play. Eagles pass-rusher Hassan Reddick Ruining those plans, the Niners passed on the tight end Tyler Craft and hit the birdie as he tried to putt.
On the return, Purdy threw a short screen pass to the running back Christian McCaffrey for a gain of 3. He only attempted one more pass, a short dump-off to Kittle for a gain of 1. Purdy finished 4-of-4 for 23 yards with an average of 1.5 air yards per attempt. That was the lowest average by a starting quarterback in a playoff game since the stat was first tracked in 2006, and the second lowest average by a starting quarterback this season.
ESPN’s Nick Wagoner contributed to this report.
