The San Francisco 49ers haven’t been a loser in a game since 2022, but that incredible streak appears to be coming to an end against the Green Bay Packers in light of Brock Purdy’s shoulder injury that will keep him out of Sunday’s game.
San Francisco went from a 3-point underdog to a 5.5-point underdog against Green Bay after 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan ruled Purdy out of the game on Friday. Purdy will be replaced by 32-year-old Brandon Allen, who has a 2-7 regular season record and has not played in a regular season game since 2022.
The 49ers have been the favorite team in 36 consecutive games. That’s the third-longest streak during the Super Bowl era, behind the 1999-02 Rams (50) and the 2016-20 Patriots (64). Those Rams teams played in two Super Bowls and won one. The Patriots won two Super Bowls in that span and joined the 1971-73 Dolphins and 1990-93 Bills as the only teams to play in three consecutive Super Bowls.
Purdy isn’t the only notable 49ers player who won’t play Sunday. Former Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa also won’t play, while perennial All-Pro tackle Trent Williams is questionable.
Despite his team’s poor form, Shanahan is keeping faith when it comes to Sunday’s game. While they won’t have Purdy and Bosa, the 49ers still have some of the best players in the league, specifically wide receiver Deebo Samuel, running back Christian McCaffrey, linebacker Fred Warner and tight end George Kittle.
“We’ve had a really good week of practice,” Shanahan said Friday. “I know it’s disappointing. We knew there was a chance for Nick, I think the guys were a little surprised by Brock yesterday, but we addressed all that today.
“We’re going to have 48 guys in uniform. Our guys believe in themselves. I believe in them. We’re definitely missing two good players, but we have a lot of good players out there. No way, ‘We don’t have a chance to win.’ “We’re going to fight to the death and this should be a really good game.”
