49ers' Brock Purdy to miss second game with toe injury; Mac Jones to start at QB

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy will miss his second straight game with a toe injury on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

The 49ers downgraded Purdy to out for the game before inactives were due. San Francisco also downgraded starting receiver Jauan Jennings to out because of injuries to his shoulder and ankle.

Mac Jones will start his second game for San Francisco in place of Purdy. Jones threw for 279 yards and three TDs in his first start last week against New Orleans. Adrian Martinez was promoted from the practice squad to be the backup for the game.

The Niners enter the game also missing star tight end George Kittle, who is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, and No. 1 receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who is on the physically unable to perform list recovering from knee surgery last season.

Purdy missed last week’s win at New Orleans with the injury. He returned to practice this week on a limited basis but was unable to make it back to play Sunday.

Purdy initially hurt the toe in the first half against the Seahawks, but was able to play through the injury on adrenaline. Purdy went 26 for 35 for 277 yards with two TDs and two interceptions and led a game-winning TD drive capped by a 4-yard pass to Jake Tonges.

The pain got worse after the game and Purdy underwent an MRI that showed he had an injury that has been described as similar to turf toe but does not require surgery like the injury that could sideline Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow for three months.

Purdy missed two games last season with injuries, sitting out one game with a right shoulder injury and another with a right elbow injury. Those are the only games he has missed because of injuries since taking over as the starter late in the 2022 season. He did have a significant injury to his right elbow in the 2022 NFC championship game that required surgery but he made it back for the opener the following season.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl