Why was Brock Purdy benched? 49ers QB taken out of the game by Kyle Shanahan vs. Lions on MNF

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan decided to bench quarterback Brock Purdy in favor of Joshua Dobbs for a late drive against the Detroit Lions on Monday. With San Francisco trailing 40-28 at home and under two minutes left, it needed to go on a fruitful drive, recover an onside kick, and then attempt to score again to win the game.

Purdy, who was sacked by the Lions' defense on the prior play, seemed to experience discomfort in his throwing arm. That necessitated his replacement by Joshua Dobbs. Brock Purdy did not return to the game and the backup quarterback led a scoring drive, capped off by a rushing touchdown, to make the final score 40-34.

Shanahan indicated after the game that his starting quarterback faced a nerve issue in his right elbow.

NFL insider Adam Schefter reported,

"49ers HC Kyle Shanahan told reporters that Brock Purdy is dealing with a nerve issue in his right elbow and the QB will undergo testing Tuesday. Shanahan was non-committal on Purdy’s status for the regular-season finale. It’s possible Purdy has played his last game this season."

Brock Purdy has a game of two halves vs. Lions

Brock Purdy and the 49ers had nothing to play for other than pride. For the quarterback, though, there is more riding on it than just the result. He is eligible for a contract extension next year and needs to show he is still the person to lead the franchise forward. He has taken them to NFC Championship games in each of his first two seasons and played in the last Super Bowl.

However, he has been below par this season, with the usual caveat added that he has missed crucial players like Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Trent Williams, among others, for some or a major part of 2024.

Brock Purdy came out with a point to prove to the home crowd on Monday.

He had a flawless first half, throwing two touchdown passes and rushing in for one more as the 49ers went into the break with a 21-13 lead. He came out in the second half and carried on in the same vein, completing another pass in the endzone to Deebo Samuel. However, his night went downhill from there. He threw two costly interceptions, both to Kerby Joseph, which allowed Detroit to come back into the game and score 19 unanswered points.

Brock Purdy did not even get a chance to redeem himself as the next points on the board for the 49ers came courtesy of his replacement, Joshua Dobbs. However, he reached a personal milestone by passing for 377 yards, the highest he has had in his young NFL career.