For one terrifying moment, it looked as if the San Francisco 49ers' worst nightmare was coming to fruition when Brock Purdy went down late in the second quarter of their Week 15 game with the Arizona Cardinals.

But for those in the thick of the action after Purdy went down after a big hit from Dennis Gardeck with 4:05 remaining in the first half, it wasn't quite as scary as it seemed from an outside perspective.

Purdy went into the blue medical tent after the hit, which saw a personal foul called against Gardeck, but returned after three plays having suffered a stinger.

Having seen their season end on a Purdy injury in last season's NFC Championship Game, the sight of their quarterback on the turf for an extended period at State Farm Stadium was doubtless an extremely worrying one for the Niners, 

However, the long wait for him to get to his feet was simply a case of him taking his time while dealing with an injury he was experiencing for the first time.

Purdy told his post-game press conference after the 49ers' NFC West clinching win over the Cardinals: "I've never had one before, so when I got hit, I probably could have popped up with someone to grab my arm and pull me up but I was like 'alright this is my first time having it, just based off of what my teammates and guys that I've played with, how they explained a stinger this is definitely how I'm feeling'.

"It was on my left side, so I just laid there for a sec, sort of let it calm down and stuff and was able to get up, go to the tent, from there I got better, literally as time went on it just started going away and that's why I was able to get back in there mid-drive."

Asked for his emotions in the moment of Purdy's injury, wide receiver Deebo Samuel explained why his concern was very short-lived.

Samuel, who caught two touchdowns from Purdy, said: "As he was down I was standing over him I was like 'bro, what is wrong with you?' He was like 'I got a little stinger' and I'm like 'alright we'll be alright.'

"I knew he was coming back in the game so I wasn't too much worried about."

Purdy quickly removed any need for worry as he converted on third down with a 19-yard connection to George Kittle on third down before hitting Christian McCaffrey for a five-yard touchdown pass.

He finished with 242 yards and four touchdowns in a performance that further boosted his MVP credentials.

For a fleeting period of time, it looked as if Purdy's injury might end his MVP campaign. Instead, the way of he confidently emerged from the tent and promptly guided the 49ers to a 45-29 blowout win will only increase the likelihood of him becoming the first San Francisco player to receive such recognition since Steve Young in 1994.

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