49ers’ Brock Purdy Suffers Stinger Injury vs. Ravens; Replaced by Sam Darnold

Doric SamDecember 26, 2023

Loren Elliott/Getty Images

In the midst of the worst performance of his NFL career, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s night went from bad to worse.

Purdy threw a career-high four interceptions against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football before he suffered a stinger in the fourth quarter that caused him to be removed from the game and replaced by Sam Darnold.

Darnold made an immediate impact, throwing a touchdown later in the possession:

B/R Gridiron @brgridironSam Darnold TD to Ronnie Bell 🌬️

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/8s7LmjYld8

Purdy finished with 255 yards and no touchdowns on 18-of-32 passing before being pulled from Monday night’s game. His previous career-high for interceptions in a single game was two, but he doubled that against a stingy Ravens defense.

While Darnold initially looked like the more effective option, he eventually faced the same issues Purdy did. On San Francisco’s final possession, Darnold engineered a 13-play drive that came to an unceremonious end when he threw the 49ers’ fifth interception of the game at the goal line to seal the 33-19 victory for the Ravens.

Purdy had entered the game as one of the leading candidates for NFL MVP, but Monday’s performance likely erased what would’ve been a fairytale ending of being the last pick in the 2022 draft and rising to MVP in just two years.

The 49ers fell to 11-4 with the loss, putting them in a three-way tie for the best record in the NFC with the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. San Francisco remains in the top spot thanks to having the better record in conference games, but home-field advantage is still on the line with just two weeks remaining in the regular season.

The 49ers will look to bounce back on Sunday when they return to action on Sunday against the Washington Commanders.