After two key players were ruled out, the San Francisco 49ers will face the Green Bay Packers with one hand tied behind their back.

In a critical moment in the season, the 49ers will be without quarterback Brock Purdy and defensive end Nick Bosa. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that the duo would miss Sunday’s game due to Purdy’s shoulder injury and Bosa’s hip issue.

The Niners also ruled out a couple of other notable names like CB Charvarius Ward and WR Jacob Cowing. When Shanahan was asked about Purdy specifically, he said he has no long-term concerns for his QB.

“I don’t want to say there’s long-term concern. We got the MRI on Monday. We thought he just needed some rest and really weren’t concerned about him not being good this week. But when he started up Thursday, just surprised him, surprised us, how it felt. So we had to shut him down,” Shanahan said on November 22. So, I really don’t what to think of it. The MRI doesn’t look like that, so it should be alright. But the way it responded this week, it’s really up in the air for next week, so we’ll have to see on Monday.”

Brandon Allen Set to Start

In Purdy’s place, veteran backup Brandon Allen will start for the 49ers. Allen first entered the NFL in 2016 as a sixth-round draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the years since, Allen has spent his NFL career bouncing around teams and practice squads.

Allen does have some starting experience, although it’s been quite some time since his last start in 2021 with the Cincinnati Bengals. Allen spent three seasons in Cincinnati, starting 6 games for the AFC North franchise.

The former Arkansas Razorback went 1-5, totaling 1074 passing yards, 7 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. His 5 starts in 2021 specifically was the longest run of his career, but it’s clear that the opportunity did not lead to starting chances elsewhere.

Now, the longtime veteran is getting another shot. However, he faces a tall order with a road game against the Packers.

49ers QB Speaks on Packers Game

After Shanahan made the decision to start Allen, the 49ers made him available for a press conference on November 22.

Allen was asked about the 49ers‘ timeline and when he knew he would be starting.

“Today, really. I know he had a plan for his shoulder all week. He was going to rest it a little bit on Wednesday. I think we kind of split reps there on Wednesday, he was going to rest it a little bit. And then I think the plan was Thursday to come out and practice and I guess just in warmups, just wasn’t feeling right,” Allen said.

And while the Niners veteran clearly doesn’t want Purdy to be injured, Allen couldn’t help but to admit that he is excited for the chance.

“Yeah, it’s an opportunity. The circumstances are what they are, but I think our team, all year long, we’ve been kind of dealing with injuries here and there and it’s been a big next-man-up mentality. So it’s definitely an opportunity for me to go out and play well and put our guys in a good position to win the game.”