Sam Darnold Will Take Over 49ers Offense With Brock Purdy Sidelined

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will miss Week 8 after experiencing concussion symptoms on the trip back from Minnesota last week. Backup quarterback Sam Darnold will step in to lead one of the league’s strongest offenses in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

When reporters asked if Purdy suffered the concussion on a sneak attempt in the fourth quarter, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that he and his staff reviewed game footage and could not definitively identify when the quarterback might have sustained the injury.

“Possibly, we don’t know for sure, ’cause he didn’t start getting [symptoms] until the plane, ” Shanahan said about the sneak. “I don’t know exactly, but I’d probably guess that.”

Compared to his recent form, Purdy performed poorly against the Vikings in Week 8, particularly in the fourth quarter, as San Francisco was looking to make a last-second comeback. He ended the night with 272 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

With Purdy missing significant time for the first time since the NFC Championship last year, Darnold will assume duties under center this week, nearly ten months since his last start for the Carolina Panthers. Once expected to be the everyday starter in Carolina when the team signed him in 2021, Darnold lost the job the following preseason to Baker Mayfield. He later regained the job as the team was limping through the end of a mediocre season, making six starts and leading the team to four wins.

Darnold signed with the 49ers in March as a backup option to Purdy and Trey Lance, who was once considered as the starter before Purdy began to show signs of a swift recovery from surgery. With Purdy named as the starter in the preseason, Darnold eventually beat Lance for the backup role.

Though some question the former first-round pick’s ability to pilot the 49ers’ offense, others see this as a profound opportunity for Darnold, who infamously struggled in inefficient offenses on the Jets and Panthers. ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky said on NFL Live Wednesday that he wasn’t worried at all about Darnold’s competence.

“If he (Purdy) doesn’t play, I do not expect them to skip a beat,” Orlovsky said. “I think they will be just fine with Sam Darnold. I have constantly believed that if Sam Darnold was placed on a team that was similar to San Francisco, he would play worthy of that top draft pick. This young man has been weathered. He’s mentally been through it all. He’s the most talented quarterback, physically, that Kyle Shanahan has had in that offense, at least since Matt Ryan.”

When Purdy took over the 49ers’ offense last season, the former third-string quarterback and 2022 last overall pick thrived with the help of offensive stars like Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. The system surrounding Darnold has never been stronger in his career, giving him ample opportunity to succeed in Purdy’s absence.