49ers injury updates put Brock Purdy in great position to return to MVP form

Unsurprisingly after his worst game as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, former frontrunner Brock Purdy has tumbled down the MVP odds. The San Francisco quarterback, per betonline.ag, is now tied-fourth with Lamar Jackson at +900 to win the regular-season MVP, Purdy having struggled mightily as Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey both left the […]

Nicholas McGee

Oct 17, 2023 5:53 PM EDT

Oct 15, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) throws a pass during the first half against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. — Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Unsurprisingly after his worst game as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, former frontrunner Brock Purdy has tumbled down the MVP odds.

The San Francisco quarterback, per betonline.ag, is now tied-fourth with Lamar Jackson at +900 to win the regular-season MVP, Purdy having struggled mightily as Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey both left the Niners' 19-17 defeat to the Cleveland Browns through injury. Purdy finished 12 of 27 for 125 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

However, Purdy looks to be in an increasingly good spot to improve his MVP odds when the 49ers face the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football in Week 7 following the latest updates about what once looked to be worrying injuries to some of San Francisco's biggest offensive stars.

Samuel (shoulder) and All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams, who battled through an ankle injury, were already labeled as day to day by head coach Kyle Shanahan.

Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reported on Tuesday that Samuel, McCaffrey and Williams all have a chance to play against the Vikings, a claim that was then backed up by ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Schefter reported that none of the injuries are considered to be long term.

None of the injuries to 49ers’ standouts Christian McCaffrey (oblique), Deebo Samuel (shoulder) and Trent Williams (ankle) are considered long-term, per sources. Each has a chance to be ready for Monday night’s game at Minnesota, though the work week will help determine who can…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 17, 2023

That is obviously excellent news for Purdy, whose odds of producing the kind of efficiency he demonstrated over the course of a rampant start to the opening five weeks of the season are greatly improved by having Williams and his two most versatile skill-position weapons on the field.

Minnesota will be hoping to make Purdy as uncomfortable as Cleveland did but, if the 49ers do have their pivotal injured trio back on the field for the primetime showdown, the smart money is on Purdy getting back to the form that put in the MVP conversation in the first place.