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NFL NFL Week 9 Brock Purdy has started just two games this season because of a lingering toe injury. David Buono / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is questionable to play in Sunday’s game against the New York Giants, coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday, but backup Mac Jones will remain the starter. It’s the first time Purdy has been questionable since aggravating his toe injury in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Shanahan said Purdy is “not fully healthy” but has made progress and could be available in a backup or emergency role, after he got a small amount of reps with the starters in practice this week. Advertisement “He got more reps this week, but we weren’t going to commit to all of that, like we did last time (in Week 4), so I think it’s easing him back more than last time, ” Shanahan said. Purdy first injured his big toe when he was tackled while the toe was flexed against the turf during a Week 1 win in Seattle. The 49ers thought it would be a short-term issue and would recur only if he were tackled in the same manner. That scenario happened in the second quarter of the Week 4 loss to the Jaguars. Purdy finished that game, but he has yet to be a full participant in practice since. Jones has started the past four games, and the 49ers — also contending with injuries at wide receiver and tight end — have gone 2-2 in that span, with Jones completing 66 percent of his passes and throwing four touchdowns and four interceptions. Jones has been dealing with his own injuries, including a sprained PCL in his left knee and an oblique issue before he suffered a bruised knee during Sunday’s loss in Houston. This week’s injury report listed him as a full participant with “Knee, Knee, ” suggesting the bruise is to his right knee. Shanahan has said that the field surface — the artificial surface at Met Life Stadium, the Giants’ home field, is notorious among NFL players — would not factor into the decision to play Purdy. The QB’s toe injury originally occurred on artificial turf, but he exacerbated it on a grass field. Purdy could dress as the third quarterback, which would allow him to play if Jones and third-stringer Adrian Martinez were injured. Ironically, the rule allowing the third quarterback to dress without taking up an active roster spot stemmed from injuries that Purdy and then-backup Josh Johnson suffered in the NFC Championship Game following the 2022 season. Also questionable Sunday are offensive linemen Spencer Burford (knee) and Ben Bartch (ankle), who have been out since being injured in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints. Bartch was the starting left guard entering the season, but Burford, a backup offensive tackle who has experience at guard, is closer to being able to play, Shanahan said. Advertisement Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) will miss his fifth consecutive game, while center Jake Brendel and defensive ends Bryce Huff and Yetur Gross-Matos remain out with hamstring injuries. Shanahan expects newly acquired defensive lineman Keion White to play, and Clelin Ferrell could join him if elevated from the practice squad. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Matt Barrows is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the 49ers. He joined The Athletic in 2018 and has covered the 49ers since 2003. He was a reporter with The Sacramento Bee for 19 years, four of them as a Metro reporter. Before that he spent two years in South Carolina with The Hilton Head Island Packet. Follow Matt on Twitter @Matt Barrows