Brock Purdy, Trent Williams, and Nick Bosa are arguably the three San Francisco 49ers players who the Green Bay Packers are least looking forward to playing against.
All three may miss Sunday’s game at Lambeau Field.
Bosa’s status has been uncertain all week. He was already dealing with a hip ailment, but he sustained an oblique injury in the 49ers’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks last week. The All-Pro pass rusher hasn’t practiced this week.
There is now more ambiguity about Purdy and Williams. Purdy has a throwing shoulder problem, and Williams has missed practice due to an ankle injury.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Grant Cohn, Purdy tried to throw for roughly five minutes of Thursday’s session but was unable to continue.
“My best interpretation is that they thought he might be able to throw today, he gave it a shot, and it didn’t work out,” according to Cohn. “If I had to guess right now, I’m thinking Brandon Allen is going to start this game against the Packers.”
According to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated Bosa and Williams may not play this week.
Wow.
In Week 12, the Packers could meet the 49ers without their three key players.
Purdy, Williams, and Bosa are the 49ers’ most talented players.
Purdy isn’t playing at the same level as last season, but he’s still quite efficient, throwing for 2,613 yards and 13 touchdowns with eight interceptions. He can make game-winning plays, as the Packers learned in their playoff loss to the 49ers last January.
Williams, an 11-time Pro Bowler, continues to perform well this season. He is PFF’s eighth-ranked tackle for pass- and run-blocking, allowing only one sack.
Bosa is the 49ers’ pass rusher. It is that simple. He leads the way with 52 pressures and eight sacks, making things much simpler for others around him. According to ESPN Stats & Info (via Rob Demovsky), without Bosa, the Niners’ pressure rate drops from 33% to 18%, and their sack percentage falls from 8% to 2%. Both would place last in the NFL.
Losing any of these three players would have a big impact on the game. The Niners could lose all three, or they may play through injuries.
The Packers have their own injury issues ahead of a big game at Lambeau Field, but the health of Purdy, Williams, and Bosa could decide who wins. It’s worth watching between now and Sunday.
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