49ers QB Brock Purdy in concussion protocol, Sam Darnold in line to start vs Bengals

San Francisco 49ers (5-2) head coach Kyle Shanahan announced Wednesday that quarterback Brock Purdy is in concussion protocol and is unlikely to play in the Week 8 home tilt against the Cincinnati Bengals (3-3) this Sunday.

Veteran backup Sam Darnold is in line to get the start, his first in a 49ers uniform, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Shanahan noted that Purdy experienced symptoms on the plane ride back from Minnesota after the Vikings defeated the 49ers, 22-17.

Purdy appeared to take a helmet-to-helmet hit with just over seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The 49ers ran a quarterback sneak looking to pick up a first down, and Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks came flying in and connected with Purdy’s helmet.

Here’s the moment Brock Purdy took a blow to the head. pic.twitter.com/YZU1cWbhbU

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) October 25, 2023

Purdy stayed in the game after the play, but struggled down the stretch. The second-year signal-caller threw two fourth quarter interceptions, including one with 25 seconds to go in the game to secure the win for the Vikings. Purdy finished the game 21-of-30 for 272 yards with one touchdowns and two interceptions. The 49ers dropped their second game in a row after a 5-0 start.

Sam Darnold in line to start with Brock Purdy sidelined

They’ll now look for Darnold, who beat out Trey Lance for the backup job, to get them off the schneid. Darnold, a 2018 first-round pick of the New York Jets out of USC, went 4-2 in six starts with the Carolina Panthers last season. The 26-year-old threw for 1,143 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions on 58.6% passing. He went 4-7 in 11 starts for Carolina the season prior, and 13-25 in 38 starts across three seasons under center with the Jets.

“I have as much confidence in Sam as I could have in someone that I haven’t gone into a real game with. He was great in the offseason,” Shanahan said. “He has been great here in these seven weeks so far. He’s already ready to go. He’s great in the meetings. He doesn’t get many reps, as no backups do. But he does well on the scout team. We have mainly walk through today, so Brock’s allowed to do some of the walk through. We have a couple periods that aren’t, so Sam will get those periods.”