San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is finally starting again.
On Thursday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said on NBC Sports Bay Area that Purdy will return to the starting lineup Sunday at the Arizona Cardinals. Purdy suffered a toe injury in Week 1 and returned to the lineup in Week 4, apparently aggravating the injury, which forced him to take the next six weeks to recover.
Speaking to reporters shortly after Shanahan's announcement, Purdy said he's "excited to be back," feeling healthy and after consulting with multiple doctors there is no cause for surgery. Shanahan also revealed some more good news for Purdy and the 49ers as wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who's also been absent since Week 4 with a knee injury, will likewise return on Sunday.
Mac Jones had started eight games in Purdy's place, including each of the past six games. The 49ers have gone 5-3 in Jones' starts, with Jones playing some of the best ball of his career during that span.
But Shanahan indicated this week that the decision was less about how Jones was playing and more about Purdy's physical condition.
"No. It's not a hard decision," Shanahan said. "It's just more about Brock's health. It's been awesome how Mac has played. He has been great. But we've got a lot of confidence in Brock and we know Brock will play at a high level too as long as he's healthy."
At 6-4, the 49ers remain in the thick of the playoff race. They're currently one spot out of the postseason mix right now, sitting third in the NFC West behind the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, who face each other Sunday in L.A.
In Purdy's two starts this season, he's completed 65.8% of his passes for 586 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. He also ran seven times for 30 yards.
