Williams cleared to play; Purdy says he's ready to go
SANTA CLARA >> Left tackle Trent Williams and quarterback Brock Purdy were not included on the 49ers' final injury report Friday, meaning both will start their Week 17 road game against the Washington Commanders.
Purdy wasn't a surprise, given he's practiced all week and said Thursday he'd recovered from a left shoulder stinger in back-to-back weeks. There was some concern about Williams after a groin injury, but he'll be good to play against the team that drafted him and where he spent his first nine seasons.
In a 33-19 loss to Baltimore, Purdy departed the game in the fourth quarter with the injury after throwing four interceptions but said on Thursday he expected no problems.
“Got a lot of treatment done on it and everything,” Purdy said. “Sort of just worked out the soreness within the whole shoulder area, trap area, but it feels good. I'll be good for this game.”
While Williams will start at left tackle, his sidekick, guard Aaron Banks, is questionable with a recurrence of turf toe.
On defense, strong safety Ji'Ayr Brown was ruled out with a knee sprain, paving the way for veteran Logan Ryan to make his starting debut. Also ruled out was defensive tackle Arik Armstead (foot), wide receiver Jauan Jennings (concussion) and backup tackle Jaylon Moore (concussion).
Coach Kyle Shanahan is hopeful of having Brown, Jennings and Moore back for the regular season finale, while it appears Armstead may need at least another week and a possible bye week before getting back on the field.
The 49ers (11-4) visit Washington (4-11) Sunday. They are still the top seed in the NFC but might need to win their last two games — with the Week 18 finale coming against the Rams — to stay that way.
The big news for the Commanders is that quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who was named to replace starter Sam Howell earlier in the week, has a hamstring strain and is listed as questionable, meaning the job could go back to Howell.
While the 49ers' starting quarterback is presumably healthy, that doesn't mean general manager John Lynch isn't paying close attention to Purdy after two stingers in two weeks.
During his weekly appearance on the 49ers' flagship KNBR, Lynch talked about his own issues with stingers as a hard-hitting safety that led to his exit from Tampa Bay following the 2003 season at age 32.
“That was kind of at the core,” Lynch said. “I had gone 11 years in Tampa ... and they became regular to the point where I had to have neck surgery. I know exactly what he's dealing with. You've kind of got to break the cycle of getting `em on a weekly basis and it's just in the last couple of weeks. His have been minor and they're not fun.
“Hopefully we can move past that. I think he responded really well to this one and hopefully we're in a good place. We can protect him and get him kind of away from that and not make that something he's dealing with anymore.”
Lynch said Purdy's stingers are not a threat to his health. Stingers are nerve injuries that cause temporary numbness and a burning sensation in the neck and shoulder area.
“I think it's different for each and every person as to why you're getting them and how you're getting them,” Lynch said. “Believe me we would never put Brock in a position where we don't think it's smart for him to be out there and obviously there's a bunch of highly-qualified docs that are evaluating. Brock's in a good place and we're confident he can go out there and perform and be healthy out there.”
Following his surgery, Lynch played four more seasons with the Denver Broncos — making the Pro Bowl each year — to complete a career that landed him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
If Banks is good to go, the 49ers will be better off than expected after losing three linemen off their offensive front against Baltimore. If Banks doesn't play, Jon Feliciano is the likely starter at left guard with Spencer Burford at right guard.
RYAN EAGER FOR FIRST START >> Ryan, an 11-year veteran who won two Super Bowl rings with New England, is looking forward to joining Tashaun Gipson in a pairing of 32and 33-year-old veteran safeties. The 49ers lost Hufanga to a torn ACL on Nov. 19 and now will be without Brown for at least a week.
The third-round draft pick out of Penn State was one of four players who played all 68 defensive snaps for the 49ers against Baltimore.
Having played cornerback, slot corner, and safety, Ryan said he rejected other offers to play this season but that playing for the 49ers with a chance at winning a third ring was impossible to pass up.
“You don't wish on it or hope for it,” Ryan said of Brown's injury. “I think Ji'Ayir is going to be a great player. I'm willing to give him everything I know from my experience. I think the future's bright there, but I came here for an opportunity to make an impact and accomplish goals we've been working for all year.”
Ryan also played for Tennessee, the New York Giants, and Tampa Bay and had a strong game against the 49ers last season at Levi's Stadium.
“He always seemed like such an aware, smart player and a guy that had a lot of experience playing a lot of different defenses,” Shanahan said. “He's looked exactly like we hoped he'd be. He's very comfortable and knows what he's doing and the game's not too big for him.”
MOVING ON >> Shanahan is looking forward to getting past the queries about Purdy's four interceptions against Baltimore. “I'm so exhausted talking about the interceptions from our game last game, but it's been like any other week and like any other play,” Shanahan said. “He goes through each play one at a time and tries to do as best he can.”
PURDY A SPARTAN? >> Chubba Purdy, the younger brother of Brock who entered the transfer portal at Nebraska, added San Jose State to the list of teams that have offered him a scholarship along with Cal and North Texas State, according to his X (formerly Twitter) feed.
The younger Purdy was a prize recruit out of Perry High in Arizona, originally went to Florida State, and then transferred to Nebraska.
WITHIN REACH >> Wide receiver Deebo Samuel is 166 yards shy of 1,000 yards receiving with two games to play. With George Kittle having 991 yards and Brandon Aiyuk 1,203, the 49ers could end up with a 1,000-yard rusher (Christian McCaffrey leads the NFL at 1,395) and three 1,000yard receivers.
McCaffrey is 68 yards shy of his second season with 2,000 scrimmage yards. He has gained more than 100 yards rushing in four of his last five games.